Job Discussion Forums

[Sekhmet]

All I know about the situation as far as Egypt is concerned is that if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport and you want to visit Egypt - get a new passport. They WILL NOT let you in. I'm not sure about the job situation for Jews, but I don't know a single Egyptian who looks kindly on Israel as a country. The more traditionalist Muslims see Jews as almost part of their faith - in that Jews, Christians and Muslims are all "people of the book" and therefore they all have the same religious roots.
So I think as long as you don't try to enter Egypt after you have been to Israel, finding a job here as a Jew shouldn't be too much of a problem.

[stillnosheep]

[Cleopatra]

"All I know about the situation as far as Egypt is concerned is that if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport and you want to visit Egypt - get a new passport. They WILL NOT let you in. "

ARe you quite sure of this? I was pretty certain that Egypt, along with Jordan, was one of the few Arab countries which did freely allow in those with Israeli stamps. After all, there is an Israeli embassy in Cairo and Israeli tourists visit Egypt in large numbers (or at least they did until the Taba bombings last month).

Do you mean that the Egyptians will not let you WORK in Egypt if you've been to Israel? Because I'd be willing to bet my last depreciating dollar that they will let you visit.

[veiledsentiments]

Hey Cleo,

You must be bored if you are resurrecting these old threads. I know people who work in Egypt who regularly go back and forth to Israel. I doubt that they get their passport stamped since it does cause problems in many other countries that they may also visit, but obviously Egypt is aware of where they went.

So, unless this is a new policy, Egypt doesn't ban those that have visited Israel as far as I know.

VS

[Cleopatra]

Hi VS,

Yes, boredom sort of goes with the territory....

As for that whole Egypt/Israeli passport stamp issue, as I say only a few weeks ago I was watching Israeli tourists exiting Sinai en masse. Since Egypt has no problme allowing Israelis to enter, it obviously won't be bothered by mere Israeli passport stamp holders. Like you say, some people may prefer not to get an Israeli stamp, but that has less to do with visiting Egypt, than with visiting the many Arab countries which do not recongise Israel.

I raised the possibility that Egypt my deny residence visas to those who have visited Israel, though I would think that rather odd behaviour for two countries, which, though hardly bosum buddies (at least at the "street" level) still have full diplomatic relations.

However, I am prepared to be proved wrong on this.

[veiledsentiments]

Hi Cleo,

I do know one person who had been teaching in the Palestinian territory, but his employer was based in Israel - who later worked in Cairo. Who knows, it may depend on the wasta level of your employer whether an Israeli visa is ignored or not.

VS

[Cleopatra]

HI VS,

Well, maybe wasta is a factor, but I don't know of any countries which have full diplomatic relations - as Egypt and Israel do, despite the mutual hostility felt by both populations toward the other - and which deny working visas to people who have visited the other country. So, once again, I'm willing to be corrected on this, but I would be very surprised to hear that Egypt denies working or residence visas to Israeli passport stamp holders.

[meastfreak]

[Gordon]

I was in Israel 2 years ago and travelled between Egypt and Israel and Israel and Jordan. No problems, in fact there is no line up and you just pass through easily. I wish the US/Canada border was that fast.

Of course I had stamps from all 3 countries.

[veiledsentiments]

I expect that perhaps Sekmet read this in one of the uninformed guide books out there. And, it is one of those rumors that one hears that turn out to be wrong. Egypt tends to be full of those.

Gordon is right, people travel back and forth between Egypt, Israel, and Jordan all the time. But, once you venture beyond those three, that is where problems can occur if you have an Israel stamp.

VS

[Sekhmet]

Sorry Cleo - yes you're right!!! After doing some research, it was just one of those uninformed rumours. I just took it for gospel because I was told it by an Egyptian!!! But yes, very true - there is no restriction on people with Israeli stamps entering the country. For some of the Middle East countries, I do believe there are restrictions, but Egypt isn't one of them.I was also told there were problems with entering Jordan from Israel. Is that true?

[Gordon]

[Cleopatra]

I may have been right in saying that those with Israeli stamps are allowed to work in Egypt but it appears I was wrong in saying that Egypt and Israel have full diplomatic relations. While the two countries do have relations, Egypt withdrew its ambassador from Tel Aviv at the start of the 2nd Intifadeh, and he has not yet been returned, though there is talk about doing that.

See what you can learn from satellite TV!

[veiledsentiments]

Gee,

Next you are going to tell us that you learned it on - - CNN.

VS

[Cleopatra]

Actually, it was on BBC World.