America: We have expressed our concerns to Israel regarding “violations” of the Visa Waiver Program

(CNN) – The U.S. administration said Thursday that it has expressed to the Israeli government its “concerns that U.S. passport holders from the West Bank cannot pass through Israel” as required by the visa waiver program.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matt Miller said at a news conference: “I won’t go into the full details of our private diplomatic discussions, but we expect Israel to address these concerns.”

“We expect them to fully comply with the Visa Waiver Program, and if they don’t, we have procedures in place,” Miller added.

He continued: “There are a whole series of measures that can be taken before the program is finally suspended.”

According to a spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security, its department and its partners in other agencies “continuously monitor the implementation of program requirements by all countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program to ensure full implementation.”

He added: “Officials are working with the Government of Israel to address reports that Americans are having problems traveling to and from Ben Gurion Airport, and the Department expects all countries participating in the exemption program from the visa satisfy all the requirements of the program”.

Interestingly, the US administration announced in September that Israel would join the Visa Waiver Program, which allows qualified travelers to apply to enter the United States without a visa, and the decision took effect at the end of October.