Unprecedented queues for travel visa requests in 'Israel'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + News Websites
23 Aug 2023 21:10

Several countries, including France, Romania, and Portugal, have noted an unprecedented surge in requests from Israeli settlers for European passports and immigration visas recently.

People wait at the departure hall at Ben Gurion International Airport near “Tel Aviv”, Nov. 28, 2021 (Xinhua via Getty Images)

European embassies have witnessed a notable rise in inquiries from Israeli settlers seeking avenues for obtaining European citizenship or visas for immigration.

Some attribute this trend to the reform of the judicial system, while others associate it with the high cost of living in "Israel". European diplomats have observed a significant uptick in Israeli settlers queuing for passports, an occurrence that has become a phenomenon due to its unusual scale.

The embassies of various European nations, such as France, the Netherlands, Romania, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Baltic states, have all reported an increase in such requests. The matter has been a topic of discussion in joint forums among European embassies in "Israel".

The Spanish embassy in "Israel", in particular, has witnessed a rise in applications for Spanish passports over the past three years. Additionally, requests for relocation visas and digital nomad visas enabling Israeli settlers to live and work in Spain have also seen an uptick.

When asked about the motivation behind this surge in passport requests, the French Embassy in "Tel Aviv" responded that they were witnessing an increase but were not fully aware of the underlying reasons, as reported by Ynet.

North American Jews losing interest in settling in Palestine: Report

The Israeli occupation has been experiencing a steep decline in a settlement process from North America, especially among the youths, due to a lack of inviting factors, Israeli media has lately reported.

The judicial overhaul plans are "tearing Israeli society apart and affecting all walks of life, not just the interior," the Israeli Ynet website reported.

Lesser people from North America, especially among young people, are heading to occupied Palestine, data from "Nefesh B'Nefesh", a non-profit that promotes and facilitates the immigration of Jewish people to "Israel" (Aliyah) from the United States and the United Kingdom, showed.

The decline of interest in Aliyah was attributed by the organization to the settlers finding it difficult to identify with the Israeli occupation at this time. "They say it is not the time to immigrate there."

Since the start of 2022, the organization said, immigration slowed down to a mere third of the decade average, with the exception of the pandemic.

It is worth noting that the Secretary-General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has lately pointed out, on the occasion of the Resistance and Liberation Day, that the Israeli occupation’s internal front is weak and is facing an "ideological retreat", which is driving the Israeli settlers to get set to pack their bags and leave occupied Palestine.