An engineer who designed a high-tech geo-thermal building in the West Bank says new visa rules are making it hard to travel in the area with his Canadian passport.
"I was denied three times in seven months, I was given one-week visas, one-month visas, Palestinian-Authority-Region-only visas," says Khaled Al Sabawi.
The new "Palestinian Authority only" visa means he cannot pass through Israel to get in or out of the West Bank.
"That's the same as someone coming into Canada and getting a 'Saskatoon-only visa,'" says Al Sabwi.
Travellers who arrive at the Ben Gurion airport are now being told to take a long detour into the West Bank from Jordan.
The Al-Sabwi family, originally from London, Ont., have worked in the West Bank for more than 15 years. They say it has always been a hassle getting through, but the new rules have made it especially difficult in the last year, making it extra hard to do business in the area.
The U.S. government says the visa practices are unfair to Americans with Palestinian or Arab backgrounds. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada has posted a travel advisory about the restrictions, but has otherwise been silent over it.
One Canadian church worker says the rules make it so difficult to move around, it might deter tourists from coming to the country.
"It's very arbitrary," says Kathy Bergen, of the Society of Friends.
"It's at the whim of the immigration officer. If I were living abroad, and knew about this, I would think twice about coming."
It would be an especially big blow to cities like Bethlehem that thrive on tourism.
The Israeli government declined to speak to 麻豆影视 about the subject.
With a report from CTV's Janet Dirks in the West Bank
