Does Tunisia want Israeli tourists?

TUNIS, Tunisia – An incident involving Israeli passengers on a major cruise line has highlighted a murky visa process for Israeli tourists wishing to visit Tunisia.

During a port call Sunday in La Goulette, a group of between 14 and 20 Israeli citizens on the Norwegian Jade cruise ship run by the U.S. based Norwegian Cruise Lines were prevented from disembarking by the crew, who informed the passengers the Tunisian government would not allow them into the country.

Israeli citizens need a visa to travel to Tunisia and it is unclear if the passengers had one. Further, it seems that even if they applied, they wouldn’t get one.

“Tunisians have never made it clear what the process [for Israelis to obtain a visa] is,” said Jerry Sorkin, a travel agent who works in Tunisia and elsewhere in the region. The Ministry of Interior in a statement Monday said 14 foreign tourists, without specifying nationality, were denied entry to Tunisia because they “did not fulfill the legal requirements for entry.” What those requirements are, however, no one seems to know. An official in the office that deals with border control at the Ministry of Interior, who would not be named, said he had no knowledge of the issue and referred questions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Wissam Kilai, spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said there was no desk in the ministry to grant visas to Israel, as there are for other countries requiring a visa. He added that it had nothing to do with Judaism, as many Jewish Europeans come to Tunisia to visit the Ghriba synagogue in Jerba. Zoubeir Jebali, spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism, referred questions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and had no further comment. Yigal Palmor, spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Tunisia Live he was unaware of any tourism or contact between the Israeli and Tunisian governments since the 2011 revolution.

Before former Tunisian president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was forced out, however, Israelis would visit Tunisia “very regularly,” he said. Most were Jewish Israelis of Tunisian origin, but other Israelis also would come as tourists. All, he added, needed visas. Israelis would come by the “hundreds” he added for the yearly pilgrimage to Ghriba synagogue on the island of Jerba, home of the largest population of Jewish Tunisians. As Tunisia and Israel do not have diplomatic relations, Israelis would have to go to the Tunisian outpost to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah or to countries in Europe or elsewhere, Palmor said. “Usually, Norwegian Cruise Lines should know those things,” Sorkin said. At the time of booking, the crew should look through the manifest and check entry requirements for the citizens on board. This would depend, however, on the cruise line’s policy, he added. “There was no visa requirement that we are aware of,” AnneMarie Mathews, vice president of public relations for Norwegian Cruise Lines, said on Tuesday via email. A further email and phone call went unanswered. Tunisians can obtain a visa to go to Israel, with difficulty, although travel between the countries can be taboo. Amel Karboul, the Minister of Tourism, was criticized during confirmation hearings earlier this year for a professional trip she took to the country.