Thanks Harel for your email..

On 8/11/10, Harel Cain harel.cain@gmail.com wrote:

Israel is well aware of this situation, and offers the special possibility of stamping not the passport but a separate page on entry and exit, for any visitor that requests it

A confirmation for the possibility of getting the stamp on a separate paper will be helpful for people who might have fear of losing their jobs in UAE or other gulf countries or of being banned from religious rituals in Saudi Arabia.

As to visiting Israel being socially unacceptable in some societies, or a good reason for being harassed by one's own government, this is a very regrettable fact of Middle East politics, but totally not within the organizing team's sphere of influence.

As I put it before it is a complex and complicated situation which I believe is better discussed without any judgments on politics, governments or social reactions. For participants who might have any conservations on going to Israel, attending Wikimania will have its own cons and pros which will remain up to the personal evaluation of the attendant, after all.

Good luck with all.. M

Harel Cain Wikimania 2011 team

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Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:26:09 +0300 From: moushirah at gmail.com To: foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [Foundation-l] Partecipation in Wikimania 2011

Abbas: Let us not generalize; it is a complex and complicated matter about the will/ability to visit Israel if you happen to be a resident of an Arab or Muslim nation.

I believe the "difficulty" of getting a visa varies from one country to another, but even with the help of the bidding team, an issue will remain unresolved, that is: Some countries do not allow persons with an Israeli stamp on their passports, to enter their borders. The list includes: Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, UAE, Turkey ..and other destinations. I am not sure if there are exceptions for this rule in those countries. It is a complicated situation on political and ethical levels. Maybe it remains a personal choice of the participant whether to make it Haifa or not.

M

-- Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.

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