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UAE gets Israeli visa exemptions, a first for Arab world
Reuters 22 Oct 2020
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Israeli model May Tager, holding an Israeli flag, poses with Dubai-resident model Anastasia, holding an Emirati flag, during a photoshoot for FIX's Princess Collection in Dubai, UAE, on September 8, 2020. — Reuters/File
United Arab Emirates citizens will be able to stay in Israel for up to 90 days on a single visit, the Gulf power's state news agency WAM said on Thursday, after it became the first Arab nation to reach a visa-exemption agreement with Israel.
Until recently, only Egypt and Jordan had full relations with Israel, but their nationals must still apply for entry permits. Some citizens of Arab states without formal ties have been admitted on a case-by-case basis for trade or pilgrimage.
Diplomatic sources say the application process helps Israel screen potential security threats. Pro-Palestinian sentiment is strong in Egypt and Jordan, which see relatively few tourist or business exchanges with their neighbour Israel.
Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis said security “was a weighty issue and remains a weighty issue” in the decision to grant UAE citizens the same access Israel offers Western countries with which it has visa exemption arrangements.
“Happily there are other means of distinguishing terrorists from people who you explicitly know are peace-seekers coming here to do business or just tour around Israel,” he told Israel's Army Radio without elaborating.
The UAE and Bahrain formally established relations with Israel at a September 15 ceremony in the White House, becoming the first Arab states in more than a quarter of a century to break what had been a long-standing taboo in the region.
The rapprochement, which has uncorked bilateral commerce, has been decried by Palestinians but cast by the Gulf states as consistent with values of coexistence and progress.
An Israeli diplomat said visa exemptions are “not on the cards” with Bahrain, where a Sunni Muslim minority rules a Shia majority and which has seen protests against the accord with Israel.
UAE travel alert: New rules for visitors to Dubai from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal
Rules tightened after hundreds of Indians, Pakistanis stranded in Dubai flown back
Published: October 15, 2020 19:55Sajila Saseendran, Senior Reporter and Ashfaq Ahmed, Senior Assistant Editor
Hundreds of stranded Indian and Pakistani passengers were flown back as they did not comply with entry regulationsImage Credit: Supplied
ALSO IN THIS PACKAGE
They said as per the latest instructions from the authorities, visit and tourist visa holders from Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh must hold a valid round trip ticket for entry into Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).
Travellers not complying with the regulations will be sent back to the same destination where they came from on the expenses of the airlines concerned, the airlines were informed. Following this, Indian airlines such as Air India Express and IndiGo issued travel updates for Indian passengers travelling to Dubai on tourist/ visit visas or planning to obtain “visa on arrival” here.
While Air India Express stated that all tourist/visit visa holders to Dubai must hold a valid return ticket to be accepted for travel, IndiGo said such passengers will be denied entry and shall be deported at their own cost and expenses in the absence of a valid return ticket. Travel agents said they have also been informed by that these passengers should have a minimum of Dh2,000 with them. However, the airlines had not made any announcement about this till the time of publishing this report.
Hundreds of Indians, Pakistanis deported
Meanwhile, Indian and Pakistani missions in Dubai confirmed to Gulf News that hundreds of passengers from their countries, who were denied entry for non-compliance of regulations for visit/tourist visa holders, were flown back home while a few dozens were cleared for entry.
“Out of 561 stranded Pakistani passengers, the consulate managed the entry of 23 passengers into the UAE. Of the remaining, 386 have been sent back and 152 are still at the airport. Their repatriation is being arranged on various flights by tonight,” a spokesperson from the Pakistani Consulate in Dubai told Gulf News.
“We are with them at the airport and food is being provided. Our Consul General had meetings with UAE Foreign Office and DG Immigration as well,” he added.
Of around 200 Indian passengers who were stranded at the airport, 120 were flown back home, according to Neeraj Agrawal, consul for Press, Information and Culture at the Indian Consulate in Dubai. “Over 30 were cleared for entry. The rest will be sent back tonight,” he added.
Airline sources had earlier said that there were hundreds of passengers of different nationalities, mainly from the labour-sending Asian and African countries, who were denied entry.
The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai, which had confirmed travellers from Pakistan getting denied entry at Dubai International Airport due to non-compliance with entry requirements for tourist visas, had also clarified that these travelers did not have a valid hotel reservation or a relative’s reference, nor did they have a return ticket booking, as required by the UAE immigration rules. GDRFA also said that the vast majority of passengers that are compliant with the visa rules and arrive at Dubai International Airport face no delays upon entry.
Reuters 22 Oct 2020
Facebook Count
Twitter Share
11
Israeli model May Tager, holding an Israeli flag, poses with Dubai-resident model Anastasia, holding an Emirati flag, during a photoshoot for FIX's Princess Collection in Dubai, UAE, on September 8, 2020. — Reuters/File
United Arab Emirates citizens will be able to stay in Israel for up to 90 days on a single visit, the Gulf power's state news agency WAM said on Thursday, after it became the first Arab nation to reach a visa-exemption agreement with Israel.
Until recently, only Egypt and Jordan had full relations with Israel, but their nationals must still apply for entry permits. Some citizens of Arab states without formal ties have been admitted on a case-by-case basis for trade or pilgrimage.
Diplomatic sources say the application process helps Israel screen potential security threats. Pro-Palestinian sentiment is strong in Egypt and Jordan, which see relatively few tourist or business exchanges with their neighbour Israel.
Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis said security “was a weighty issue and remains a weighty issue” in the decision to grant UAE citizens the same access Israel offers Western countries with which it has visa exemption arrangements.
“Happily there are other means of distinguishing terrorists from people who you explicitly know are peace-seekers coming here to do business or just tour around Israel,” he told Israel's Army Radio without elaborating.
The UAE and Bahrain formally established relations with Israel at a September 15 ceremony in the White House, becoming the first Arab states in more than a quarter of a century to break what had been a long-standing taboo in the region.
The rapprochement, which has uncorked bilateral commerce, has been decried by Palestinians but cast by the Gulf states as consistent with values of coexistence and progress.
An Israeli diplomat said visa exemptions are “not on the cards” with Bahrain, where a Sunni Muslim minority rules a Shia majority and which has seen protests against the accord with Israel.
UAE travel alert: New rules for visitors to Dubai from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal
Rules tightened after hundreds of Indians, Pakistanis stranded in Dubai flown back
Published: October 15, 2020 19:55Sajila Saseendran, Senior Reporter and Ashfaq Ahmed, Senior Assistant Editor
Hundreds of stranded Indian and Pakistani passengers were flown back as they did not comply with entry regulationsImage Credit: Supplied
ALSO IN THIS PACKAGE
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- Photos: Dubai Municipality celebrates World Migratory Birds day
- IPL 2020 in UAE: Kings XI Punjab and Chris Gayle stun Royal Challengers Bangalore – in pictures
- In Pictures: Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed tours Al Hudayriat Recreational Project set to open in November
They said as per the latest instructions from the authorities, visit and tourist visa holders from Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh must hold a valid round trip ticket for entry into Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).
Travellers not complying with the regulations will be sent back to the same destination where they came from on the expenses of the airlines concerned, the airlines were informed. Following this, Indian airlines such as Air India Express and IndiGo issued travel updates for Indian passengers travelling to Dubai on tourist/ visit visas or planning to obtain “visa on arrival” here.
While Air India Express stated that all tourist/visit visa holders to Dubai must hold a valid return ticket to be accepted for travel, IndiGo said such passengers will be denied entry and shall be deported at their own cost and expenses in the absence of a valid return ticket. Travel agents said they have also been informed by that these passengers should have a minimum of Dh2,000 with them. However, the airlines had not made any announcement about this till the time of publishing this report.
Hundreds of Indians, Pakistanis deported
Meanwhile, Indian and Pakistani missions in Dubai confirmed to Gulf News that hundreds of passengers from their countries, who were denied entry for non-compliance of regulations for visit/tourist visa holders, were flown back home while a few dozens were cleared for entry.
“Out of 561 stranded Pakistani passengers, the consulate managed the entry of 23 passengers into the UAE. Of the remaining, 386 have been sent back and 152 are still at the airport. Their repatriation is being arranged on various flights by tonight,” a spokesperson from the Pakistani Consulate in Dubai told Gulf News.
“We are with them at the airport and food is being provided. Our Consul General had meetings with UAE Foreign Office and DG Immigration as well,” he added.
Of around 200 Indian passengers who were stranded at the airport, 120 were flown back home, according to Neeraj Agrawal, consul for Press, Information and Culture at the Indian Consulate in Dubai. “Over 30 were cleared for entry. The rest will be sent back tonight,” he added.
Airline sources had earlier said that there were hundreds of passengers of different nationalities, mainly from the labour-sending Asian and African countries, who were denied entry.
The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai, which had confirmed travellers from Pakistan getting denied entry at Dubai International Airport due to non-compliance with entry requirements for tourist visas, had also clarified that these travelers did not have a valid hotel reservation or a relative’s reference, nor did they have a return ticket booking, as required by the UAE immigration rules. GDRFA also said that the vast majority of passengers that are compliant with the visa rules and arrive at Dubai International Airport face no delays upon entry.
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