Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport has been closed since January 26th.
Israel’s Channel 12 reports that senior officials are saying that the airport will remain closed through at least the end of Pesach in early April.
The airport is officially only closed through March 6th at 9:59pm.
Some 50% of Israelis have been at least partially vaccinated and 35% of Israelis have been fully vaccinated.
The country has been closed to most foreign nationals since 3/18/20 with no end in sight, though that ban officially ends on March 1st at 9:59pm.
In other news, Channel 12 reports that COVID hotels in Israel will make yet another comeback, while the state has shelled out over half a billion shekels to pay for the hotel rooms. Hotel quarantine had just closed down before the latest about-face.
Channel 12 also reports that in the coming days, Israel will open up Green Passports to people who have antibodies for COVID. Currently they are only issued to people who have recently recovered from COVID or who have been fully vaccinated. Green Passport holders will be to go to the gym, theaters, hotel, concerts, and more.
It’s just another day in the constantly changing Israeli COVID rules.
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39 Comments On "Will Ben Gurion Airport Remain Closed Until After Pesach?"
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Elections are March 23rd.
That’s five days before Pesach…
If there are enough vaccinated people who want to travel, why would they close the airport?
Netanyahu is terrified to lose the election. He overplayed his hand. And the opposition is trashing him for Covid like the Democrats did to Trump.
Really hoping to be able to go for Shavuos.
Comon. Be real. Hasn’t the past year taught you a thing about lockdowns and governments?
I suspect the airport will open before Pesach, since it would be pretty nuts to keep it closed that long especially with the holiday. The real question is- who will be allowed in without quarantine? Only Israeli citizens who have been vaccinated? What about Israeli citizens but who have been vaccinated outside of Israel? What about foreign citizens but who have been vaccinated? There has been nothing mentioned as to what the plan to reopen will look like and no word on these kinds of details- we’ll have to wait and see. I’m sure they’ll wait until a week before Pesach 🙂
Closed is correct
Protect its ppl
Including נארן who don’t vaccinate
Why killing its citizens
By foreigners who want to come in ?
It’s not the right time
Till מגיפה no longer a life risk
Honestly if you are Jewish and you are vaccinated you should be allowed in even though you don’t have an Israeli passport many Americans have property and business in Israel and are able to properly quarantine and should be allowed in with all due respect
Never?
I hope this doesn’t include the ridiculous limitations on outgoing flights. There are thousands of bochurim, seminary girls, and couples planning to fly in the coming weeks. Most flights are fully sold out.
What exactly is the logic of limiting outgoing flights?
No airline will send a flight out only to have it come back empty.
That’s not true, both United and Delta have daily cargo routes from NY to TLV and back. These flights usually carry passengers both ways, but since the travel ban took effect they are traveling without passengers, they don’t mind taking passengers at least one way.
I have ZERO rachmanus on seminary girls in Israel. Anyone with just half a brain would not have gone this year after all we saw in 2020 and knew going into this year. It’s difficult to understand the major necessity in an ordinary year but this year? Anyone who went knew the chance they were taking. As such, I don’t pity then one bit. The bachurim are somewhat a different story IMHO. A. They need to learn somewhere and there was nothing set up for them in the states since ordinarily a 20-21 YO is learning in Israel. There was no space here. Refer back to the articles on frum sites in spring-summer 2020. B. They’re learning Torah. Girls have no need for the “sem experience”.
Mo many Rabbonim who oversee seminaries will strongly disagree with you, and provide you evidence that the experience lays the foundation for the Jewish home
lol. In fact my wife is doing a pretty good job without having gone to Israel for a year. She even knew how to do laundry herself. Amazing.
Of course “Rabbonim that oversee seminaries” think that way. My wife and daughters went to seminaries local in the US and turned out just fine, thank you.
Steve, bp27, what need did your daughters have for seminaries in the US or in Israel? Girls have no obligation to learn Torah. I’m surprised they even waited (and perhaps wasted) a few years after high school to get married and have children. —– Now, do you see where I’m going with this?? There are 5 Jews and 6 opinions. There is no reason to argue against families choosing to send their daughters to Israel, just as I have no reason to question whether one decides to send their girl to YU, Touro, University of Alabama, seminary, marriage.
Wasn’t arguing with those who send. I was arguing with someone who claimed that it is needed to “lay the foundation of a Jewish Home”, as proven by people who run those seminaries.
so basically you are using your personal opinions about how people should educate their children as an excuse for having no rachmanus on your fellow jews.
now thats typical 2021
Nobody really asked for your sympathy. PLEASE keep it all!
where I live we are in the year 5781/2021. What year is it where you live? Based on what you write I would guess about 1960.
While I do have rachmonus on the bochrim and sem girls, anyone who went to study in Israel this year knew they may not be able to come home for pesach.
If they would be allowed to leave, we’d hear everyone complaining about not being able to come back.
This whole thing makes absolutely ZERO sense. If people can prove they are vaccinated then why not let them into the country? Now let’s say they don’t trust the documentation of other countries then fine. But what about people who got vaccinated in Israel, do they not have any faith in they’re own system as to knowing if someone received the vaccine?
They obviously believe in the success of the vaccines because anyone who receives it and gets a green passport is allowed into all venues which were closed until now.
So if they believe vaccinated people don’t carry the virus, then what difference does it make if they travel abroad? These people should be allowed back in!
Another thing which sounds like complete stupidity to me is as follows.
After receiving the second vaccine you can get a green passport after waiting another seven days.
If someone were to leave the country within the seven days after the second vaccine, they can still get the green passport, but if/when they return to Israel they will have to quarantine!
Can someone please explain to me how on earth this makes sense?!
If the government trusts that seven days after the vaccine a person won’t carry the virus, then what difference does it make that they left the country before the seven days were up? In 3 weeks from now when they return they certainly won’t be carrying the virus!
Israel is in a state of panic and hysteria. Having just reopened, politicians are terrified that the vaccines do not protect against new strains. Of course it doesn’t! Coronavirus is and will be a seasonal virus! They all overplayed their hands, too much of the population trusts the government implicitly, and the politicians have an election coming up. It’s pretty pathetic. Though I’m glad we got here when we did. In December.
I really don’t get people who just trust “government” implicitly. Pretty sad state of affairs.
The same doofus who may have been your classmate once upon a time become super smart and knowledgeable when part of government? Curious how people justify trusting implicitly.
If Israel could trust that forgien test results didn’t come from the photoshop lab then they would…
The motivation of bureaucrats and politicians to hold onto acquired power. In this case the Covid-19 gave rationalizations to newly regulate many facets of everyday life and the VIRUS empowered many in government and the health ministry in particular. They will be very slow to yield this control and power. New mutations have been used as the boogey man to scare others into accepting this elongated and and irrational travel closure. Who knows? Perhaps the entrenched leadership believes the travel ban will keep out unwanted foreign election expert influencers from hurting the incumbent powers. British mutation, South African mutation, Los Angeles mutation, Ugandan mutation, and Washington DC democratic party mutation all sound scary and make for attention grabbing headlines. Politicians touted vaccination as the way back to freedom. Right now it does not appear that the high vaccination rate in rate will be good enough for politicians to open the borders.
No one in power has coherently articulated how this travel ban ends and why it must continue.
You hit it on the head! As for the Lincoln Project, I suspected the same, but they use Zoom too. And are trashing Netanyahu, and plan to do far more. The whole political drama here is utterly disgusting. Because little kids believe it. Such Sinat Chinam it causes. But we’re still glad we got here. Just a mere 7 weeks ago.
I really hope the part about the Haredi passengers lying and forging documents turns out to be untrue, but even then the fact that so many passengers tested positive on arrival is frightening. And people want to allow more people into Israel? I think they should let people leave from Yeshiva Seminary etc but they should not let them back in for now. I wish I could go to see my family but it’s more important to be safe and keep others safe.
https://m.jpost.com/israel-news/over-ten-test-positive-with-coronavirus-from-new-york-rescue-flight-659923
You don’t know that half the anti-vaxxers in Israel (and the world) are not religious and leftist? Look up which city in Israel has the least vaccinations (not just Corona) per capita. By the way, people aren’t dropping like flies there. Being “pro choice” is equal opportunity. Icing on the cake are the people who are forging documents here in Israel, who don’t look anything like the people you describe. Though they too are descendants of Abraham. So can’t we all just get along? After all, our haters from outside our nation hate us all equally.
ground hogs day is here to stay until yoyvel
I’m beginning to understand “Al Kanfei Nesharim…” It’s going to be Hashem alone that will gather His children home – and right over Ben Gurion Airport…
Happy to hear that you’re all so positive about a re-opening…to me I understand one thing – power/control. Once the government has succeeding in manipulating/taking control of freedoms/etc. – can’t see them releasing and giving it back…
As with everything else – time will tell…
It is indeed frightening. But I’d rather be here than anywhere else. And I hope those nearest and dearest to me can get here soon enough.
Are Yeshivas and sems allowed to leave after purim?? Or they stuck in Israel?
If planes don’t want to fly back empty bc of financial loss, shouldn’t america pay for their citizens to come back?
The US almost never pays to evacuate its citizens.The embassy may help arrange an evacuation but those evacuted pay in full.
I think Mashiach will reopen the airport – and rename it!
To clarify: On a positive antibody test from Meuchedet, It will say “this ishur serves as an ishur machlim (recovery certificate)”. With an ishur machlim, foreigners can get a green pass.
My Delta flight from TLV to NYC on March 11 was cancelled, eventhough it’s a few days after the law closing the skies is due to expire…
The writing is on the wall for Pesach 2021 in Israel, or lack thereof….received this message from the David Intercontinental in Tel Aviv this morning….”As you may have heard, the Israeli government recently approved hotel openings with limited operations, yet there is much uncertainty and ongoing changes regarding the implementation and legalities relating to the ‘Green Passport’ and vaccination status both for hotel guests and staff.
During this past year, we have been eagerly waiting for this moment to arrive where we can once again host you at the InterContinental David, implementing many changes to ensure we can deliver our brand promise of True Hospitality.
Our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our guests and our employees is of the utmost importance and is due to this that we have taken the difficult decision not to open for Pesach this year.
We kindly request that you cancel your bookings for Pesach.
We look forward to being able to host you and your families at the InterContinental David Tel Aviv in the near future, at a time when we can provide the level of luxury that’s has become synonymous with our brand.
Please acknowledge by return that you have received our mail.
Stay Safe & Best regards,
Lia Maderer
Reservations Department”