News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Israel is not on a list of countries whose citizens will no longer need to apply for visas before visiting the United States. The countries on the list are Latvia, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Hungary.

Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit has attempted to get Israeli citizens a visa exemption, but has been told that the U.S. will not agree until Israel begins using biometric passports, which are more difficult to forge than Israel's current passports. The Knesset has approved the use of biometric passports, but it will take some time before the plan receives final approval and is put into action.