WASHINGTON – The US Embassy in Jerusalem and the Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv are not offering nonimmigrant and immigrant visa services at this time due to the ongoing conflict.
The suspension was confirmed by the US embassy in Israel which said in a statement that if someone has an emergency need to travel to the United States and they do not currently have a nonimmigrant visa, they should apply at a U.S. embassy or consulate other than Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.
‘Consular sections at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide can assist with expedited appointments for emergency travel. Please make an appointment and request an expedited appointment in that country,’ the embassy said in a statement.
It bears mentioning that Canadian U.S. Consulates have expanded visa application eligibility to include Israelis and third-country nationals.
For expedited interview appointments due to emergency travel, applicants are advised to consult the respective Consulate’s guidelines. After completing the DS-160 application and paying fees on the U.S. Department of State Visa Appointment Services site, expedited appointments can be requested.
The air travel in Israel practically came to a halt with the confrontation going on in the region that has left over 3000 Palestinians dead with thousands of others wounded severely.
Prominent Hollywood figures, including Tilda Swinton, Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes, Charles Dance, Maxine Peake, and Peter Mullan, have signed an open letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
A day earlier, the United Nations Security Council failed to pass a resolution on the Israel-Gaza war as the United States, a close ally of Tel Aviv, vetoed Brazil-led draft, drawing ire from the Muslim world.
Washington justified its move, saying the resolution failed to admit Israel’s right to self-defense, while the resolution actually called for humanitarian pauses in the ongoing war to allow full access for aid to Gaza.
UNSC met on Wednesday to vote on the draft resolution that was tabled by Council President Brazil. 12 Council members voted in favour of the resolution, whereas Russia and the UK abstained. It was for second time the UNSC failed to adopt a resolution on the situation in the Middle East.
Earlier, the Security Council turned down a Russia-backed resolution that called for a humanitarian ceasefire.
