New Zealand denies barring Israelis over army service

New Zealand’s border control agency says it has not made any changes to its policies for processing visitor visa applications from Israeli or Palestinian nationals, responding to a report that Wellington was requiring Israelis to disclose IDF service details as a condition for entry.

“To be clear, military service is not grounds alone to decline visa applications,” Immigration New Zealand says in a statement.

Earlier this week, The Times of Israel reported that New Zealand had begun to require Israelis applying for a visa to report details of their military service as a condition for entry, with at least one person denied admission after doing so.

The immigration authority says it assesses visa applications against numerous factors, and sometimes requires applicants to fill out a 12-page document detailing their relationships, education, employment, political experience and military service.

It says Israeli applicants denied visas were rejected because they did not meet the necessary requirements, “such as providing proof of ties to their home country, reasons for their stay, or evidence of their travel plans.”

“Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas started, INZ has put in place processes to ensure consistency and priority allocation for any applications received for people living in these locations,” the authority adds.

Israel and New Zealand have a visa waiver agreement, meaning only visitors planning on staying beyond three months must apply for a visa.

“This has not changed,” Immigration New Zealand says.

Anti-Israel activists in New Zealand and Australia have focused recently on pressuring their governments to block IDF soldiers and reservists from entering, or to have them arrested on war crimes allegations. Earlier this week, New Zealand’s Palestinian Solidarity Network launched a telephone hotline for citizens to inform on IDF soldiers spotted abroad.