I absolutely agree that this is a complicated matter and would differ from
country to country. the thing is the foundations goal of expanding in the
"global south" does place some priority on the middle east, it would be
rather unfortunate that most of the people might not be able to make it to
the conference. I also understand that the organizers are making a great
effort to be as inclusive as possible, but I think we have to realize its
going to be what its going to be. Many people might not be able to attend
this year. Its not only an issue for the resident but also for people who
travel or work in countries which might discriminate against
an Israeli stamp on their passport.
I am curious if the Israeli embassies are going to be lenient in mid-eastern
countries and are aware of the issue, do you have their support? I would
also like to ask about the stamp being on a separate page? doesnt the Visa
have to be on the passport itself, are you talking about
two separate things?
Regards
Theo
On Wed, Aug 11, 2010 at 11:20 PM, Yaroslav M. Blanter <putevod(a)mccme.ru>wrote;wrote:
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.
Turkey is no problem, Turkish citizens can, may and do visit Israel. Also,
Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Tunesia, and Mauretania are no problem. Algeria I
would need to check.
The list of countries which would never let a visitor in with the Israeli
stamp (or Jordan or Egypt stamp in correponding checkpoints) is (I believe
this is a full list but one needs to check the lates updates; not sure
about Irak for instance):
Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen,
Qatar, Sudan, Lybia. Citizens of these countries who openly visit Israel
break the laws of these countries and can face prosecution.
There are other countries which would let a foreigner with an Israeli
stamp in but not let their citizens to visit Israel. This list needs to be
compiled from the database but I believe it includes at least Malaysia and
Indonesia.
Cheers
Yaroslav
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