The government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, has approved an arrangement whereby Russian tourists will be allowed to visit Israel without visas.
The idea was that of Tourism Minister Yitzchak Aharonovitch of the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) party - a party supported mostly by Israelis who immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union in the past 10-15 years.
Aharonovitch says the plan will bring "hundreds of millions of shekels into Israel's economy." The Shas Party Cabinet ministers - the only ones to vote against the plan - say the money will come together with an increase in crime and prostitution.
Some four million Russian tourists arrive in the Middle East each year, Aharonovitch says, "but only 100,000 of them reach Israel - and this is because of our visa requirement, which does not exist in other countries around us."
The new arrangement will not be instituted until Russia institutes a similar arrangement for Israeli tourists. Israeli government officials are in contact with their Russian counterparts regarding this.
Appointed Tourism Minister only six months ago, Aharonovitch says the arrival of 100,000 tourists means "4,000 new jobs and at least $100 million for Israel's economy. Waiving the visa requirement can be expected to bring in additional hundreds of thousands of tourists."
Russian Tourism - Up
This remains to be seen. A report prepared for the Tourism and Finance Ministries shows that in the first seven months of this year, 77,000 tourists arrived from Russia - compared with 46,000 in the same period last year.
Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, who oversees the Israel Police, originally objected to the idea, but voted in favor.
The four Shas Party ministers voted against the plan. A Shas statement explained, "The police originally said that criminal elements would use the new situation to infiltrate into Israel. We have not yet heard a persuasive explanation as to why this threat no longer exists."