America says 'No'
Photo: AP
US shatters Iranian Jew's dream
Woman who arrived in Israel secretly planned to travel to US to meet siblings after 28 years, but American embassy denied her a visa
A Jewish woman residing in Iran recently arrived in Israel for a secret visit. The woman, who has not seen her siblings, who reside in the United States, for 28 years planned to travel to America for an emotional reunion. However, her dream was shattered after the US embassy in Israel rejected her visa request, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
The woman arrived in Israel secretly via a European country, and planned to travel to New York for the holidays to see her siblings. After she landed in Israel, an Israeli relative who speaks some Persian accompanied her to the American embassy in Tel Aviv. At the end of her interview, an embassy official rejected her visa request.
The official said that as there was no Persian translator in the embassy, he was unable to verify her story and could not conclude that she does not intend to settle in the US. The official proposed that the woman's siblings travel to Israel to see her here.
The woman's Israeli relative approached the Foreign Ministry and Jewish Agency and asked for their intervention in order to resolve the problem. Following the request, the Foreign Ministry turned to the US General Consul in Tel Aviv and asked that the request be reconsidered on humanitarian grounds. Foreign Ministry officials told the Americans that they will personally guarantee that the woman will not stay in the US, but to no avail.
Responding to the story, the American embassy said that in order to be granted a visa, applicants must convince embassy officials beyond any doubt that they do not intend to immigrate to the US.
