Chicago: An Arab-Muslim woman complained to El Al, Israel's national airline, on Monday, claiming that because of her racial background and religious beliefs, officials prevented her from boarding a flight on July 18, 2023, and subjected her to intrusive screening.
Noor Wazwaz, an American citizen and journalist, claimed she was attempting to board an El Al flight in Newark to visit relatives in the West Bank when American TSA officials and El Al Israeli security personnel subjected her to a special screening procedure that included a thorough body pat-down and the removal of clothing.
She was subsequently denied boarding after it was claimed that her laptop had tested positive for "explosives."
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According to a representative of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the allegation of "explosives" is absurd and frequently used to prevent Palestinian Americans from visiting their relatives and friends in the occupied territories."It is inexcusable that a US citizen would endure such treatment, much less that it would take place in the US. There is no excuse for the treatment she received, and we demand a prompt investigation into all of El Al's practises, according to a statement from Abed Ayoub, national president of the ADC.
Airlines that establish different policies and procedures for customers from various racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds have no place in the industry. Allowing Israeli security personnel to target members of our community at American airports is not justified. The treatment Ms. Wazwaz experienced is still being practised today when US citizens with Palestinian, Arab, or Muslim ancestry fly on El Al.
Wazwaz was able to arrange a different flight, according to Ayoub, but when she arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv days later, she was detained by Israeli security for a considerable amount of time. Wazwaz claimed that Israeli security also removed documents from her mobile, which had undergone a thorough security check.
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Although Israeli security claimed that the laptop tested positive for "explosives," Ayoub claimed that they did not conduct any additional testing or screening and also denied Wazwaz an opportunity to contest the allegations.Every contact in Ms. Wazwaz's phone with a Palestinian or Israeli country code had to be listed, according to Ayoub, who was quoting Israeli authorities."When Ms. Wazwaz's ordeal finally came to an end and she reached her destination, she discovered that her bags had clearly been searched and emptied, even though no note had been left indicating such a search."
The ADC complaint is embarrassing for Israel because it has lobbied for special treatment under the US Visa Waiver Programme, which would let Israelis enter the country with few security precautions.Israeli officials announced in early July that all US citizens, regardless of background, would be permitted to travel through Israeli ports of entry open to tourists in order to gain support for inclusion in the visa-waiver programme.On July 19, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security of the United States issued a statement in response to that claim, further bolstering its support for the approval of visa waivers.
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DHS applauds Israel's efforts to comply with the program's requirements. On the implementation of its new travel regulations, the Government of Israel will work with the United States. The mandatory requirements of the Programme must all be met in order to be eligible for enrollment in the Visa Waiver Programme.
In order to achieve our shared objective of having Israel join the Visa Waiver Programme, the Department is closely collaborating with the Government of Israel in its efforts to fulfil those requirements.In the past, Israel has singled out Americans of Arab descent for extra scrutiny and physical searches before allowing them to board El Al planes in New York and when they land at Ben Gurion Airport.