Ambassador of Ukraine allowed the abolition of the visa-free regime with Israel
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The current visa-free regime between Ukraine and Israel may be canceled at the initiative of Kyiv, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk said.
Such a decision could be Kyiv’s response to the deportation of Ukrainian citizens, writes The Times of Israel.
“The Ukrainian government will not tolerate the humiliation of its citizens when entering Israel. We will suspend our bilateral visa-free transactions in accordance with Article 7 of the intergovernmental agreement,” Korniychuk said.
According to the publication, Israelis annually come to the Ukrainian city of Uman in September, where “thousands of pilgrims” come for the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah. Over 20,000 Israelis visited Rabbi Nachman’s burial site last year despite warnings. According to the ambassador, it is inconceivable that Ukraine hosts tens of thousands of people “with a high security risk and huge logistical efforts” while the Israeli government allows such “abuses” with the Ukrainians.
“If Israel wants its citizens to be able to come to Ukraine as tourists, including to Uman, I believe that the Prime Minister [Биньямин] Netanyahu must personally intervene to find a solution to the current issue,” Korniychuk said.
Israeli Interior and Health Minister Moshe Arbel denied Kyiv’s accusations. Israel’s immigration policy, it said in a statement, “welcomes tourists from many countries around the world, including Ukraine.” However, in case of suspicion that such citizens are illegally using their tourist visa for work or residence, the authorities can act in accordance with their powers.
Under a bilateral agreement, Ukrainians can stay in Israel for three months, the publication points out. Due to ongoing fighting, Jerusalem has extended three-month visas for non-Jewish refugees. According to the Ukrainian embassy, in the first half of 2023, Israel deported 2,037 citizens of Ukraine against 2,705 for the whole of 2022. Earlier, Korniychuk told The Times of Israel that about 10% of Ukrainians entering the country are deported.
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