POLICY
Policy

As Christian exodus from Israel, Interior Ministry aims to solve visa crisis

The chief of staff of the Population and Immigration Authority has reached out to the lawyer representing the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ) to inform him that a review of the visa policy that has banned permanent staff from entering Israel is underway, and an understanding will be reached soon.
Moreover, The Jerusalem Post confirmed that the issue had been brought to the highest levels of the Israeli government.
“We have been waiting on this review for over three years now without any valid explanation for the delays and drastic changes in visa policies over that time,” said David Parsons, ICEJ vice president and senior spokesperson. “We are confident we can work out a long-term resolution on our visas now that we have their attention.”

He pointed out that over the last 18 months, the ministry had ceased granting work or clergy visas to entities like ICEJ and similar groups. Instead, their personnel were constrained to obtain volunteer visas with stringent limitations. These visas were exclusively available to individuals from prosperous nations, comprising at least 50% of Israel’s GDP. Furthermore, these visa holders were restricted to traveling alone, without dependents. Additionally, the terms of the visas mandated a departure from the country for a minimum of six months every two years.
“These organizations cannot continue to function without at least 10-15 permanent staff members,” explained lawyer Calev M. Myers. “These are very large organizations with 40 to 60 employees, most temporary or volunteers. But to build an organization, you have to have stable leadership. You cannot have people who come and go every year.

He pointed out that over the last 18 months, the ministry had ceased granting work or clergy visas to entities like ICEJ and similar groups. Instead, their personnel were constrained to obtain volunteer visas with stringent limitations. These visas were exclusively available to individuals from prosperous nations, comprising at least 50% of Israel’s GDP. Furthermore, these visa holders were restricted to traveling alone, without dependents. Additionally, the terms of the visas mandated a departure from the country for a minimum of six months every two years.
“These organizations cannot continue to function without at least 10-15 permanent staff members,” explained lawyer Calev M. Myers. “These are very large organizations with 40 to 60 employees, most temporary or volunteers. But to build an organization, you have to have stable leadership. You cannot have people who come and go every year.

Other prominent Christian organizations include Bridges for Peace and Christians United for Israel, both of which have similar missions to ICEJ.
The Post learned that the ministry is still recommending that the staff members receive B4 volunteer visas but will waive restrictions like the requirement to spend six months abroad between visa periods, perhaps lowering the required days to only 30. However, when the Post asked Myers whether this kind of agreement would be acceptable, he said the answer was no.
The organizations are looking for a permanent solution and, until it is found, to maintain the status quo as it was handled under previous governments.
Myers said the ministry told him that they are considering creating a new visa category for Christian workers like ICEJ’s. However, given the government’s preoccupation with other issues, he does not believe a solution will be found readily.

Who is the ICEJ?
The ICEJ has been operating in Israel since 1980 and is registered as an Israeli NGO. ICEJ’s mandate is to “encourage Christians worldwide to stand with Israel and the Jewish people in solidarity and friendship, and particularly to support the 3,000-year-old Jewish claim and connection to Jerusalem,” Parsons said.
ICEJ has branches in 90 countries and activities in 170. Parsons said it had assisted more than 180,000 Jews in making aliyah and provided more than 250 bomb shelters to Israelis living on the borders.
The organization is known for its annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration, which has drawn thousands of Christian pilgrims to the country each year to march in the streets to support Israel and the Jewish people. In the past, Christian Arabs have come from enemy countries to participate in the celebration. At its peak, the feast hosted as many as 6,000 people.

This article originally appeared on The Jerusalem Post