Visas and Passports

Demanding that Palestinian refugees be allowed to return to their former homes in Israel, more than 100 Palestinians were killed at the border between Gaza and Israel in protests that began on March 30 and ended in June.

Since then, smaller incidents have occurred, primarily the flying of kites and balloons — armed with incendiary devices — over the border from Gaza, causing small fires and threatening Israeli farms. Israel implemented a fuel blockade in order to deny Hamas materials to create firebombs.

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 510th issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine. Yes, in this day and age, an actual magazine! And we have a lot of longtime supporters, Barb Hartwell of St. Petersburg, Florida, among them.

Barb wrote, “International Travel News was responsible for propelling my husband and me toward one of the most wonderful trips we ever took and for leading me to a very special friendship.  

“The very first sample copy I received (and I don’t know who was kind enough to have it sent to me) prompted my husband and me to call the company Travel Downunder (Bellevue, WA; 866/258-1629, www.travel-downunder.com) and tell the agent, Wendy Schatz, that we wanted to take the identical trip to Tonga that was put together for Penny and Dan Strohl of Oakland, California, and that was described in such beautiful detail by Penny in the article ‘Tonga — a South Pacific Paradise’ in the August 2005 issue of ITN.

“In the ensuing preparations for that trip, we were put in contact with the Strohls, who became very good friends of ours, although we lived in Florida, far from their home. Since my first email contact with Penny, she and I have emailed each other two or three times a week. (Yes, that’s for the last 13 years!) My husband and I visited twice with the Strohls in Oakland, and I took a little trip to New England with the Strohls after my husband died in 2009.

Egypt introduced an evisa for travelers from 46 countries, including the US, UK and Canada, on June 26. Whether single-entry ($25) or multiple-entry ($60), it is good for three months after approval. To apply, visit visa2egypt.gov.eg.

Twenty rockets were fired from Syria into the Golan Heights, Israel, on May 10, with no casualties resulting. In response, Israel targeted sites in Syria believed to be occupied by Iranian military. According to Israeli sources, more than 70 military sites in Syria were damaged or destroyed.

Reports stated that, after the missile launch, Russia made an agreement with Israel to move Hezbollah and Iranian soldiers away from the border of Israel, but there was no official confirmation from either party.

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Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 508th issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine.

As of May 1, travelers from the US, Canada, the UK and 56 other countries can visit the Chinese island of Hainan for up to 30 days without a visa. Hainan, just off the southern coast of China in the South China Sea, is China’s largest Special Economic Zone, meaning it has slightly more independence from the Chinese government’s economic policies, allowing it to have a more open free-market system.

Palestinian protests that began on March 30 at the Gaza/Israel border continued past the originally scheduled end date of April 15. 

On April 20, in clashes with the Israeli military positioned at the border, four Palestinians were killed, including a 15-year-old.

On April 27, hundreds of Gazans attempted to force their way through the border fence by pulling it down or using wire cutters. In response, the Israeli military opened fire on the group, killing at least three people. More than 800 people were reported injured, 174 from gunfire.

Travelers who already hold tickets for 2018 FIFA World Cup soccer matches, being held in cities throughout Russia, will be able to enter the country visa-free with a FAN ID pass.

To receive the pass, a traveler must fill out the application at www.fan-id.ru and have the pass mailed to him before his departure. The pass is free.

Tens of thousands of Gazans gathered along the border of Israel on March 30, making semipermanent camps at five locations, to protest in favor of the “right to return,” demanding that Palestinian refugees be allowed to return to their former homes in Israel. The protests were scheduled to last until May 15.