The U.S. Department of Transportation has demanded that Israel allow U.S. airlines to fly rescue flights for stranded Israelis, otherwise it will prevent El Al flights from landing in the United States, Channel 12 reported Saturday.
Israel’s land and air gateways have been largely closed since January 25, with Ben Gurion airport closed to nearly all Israeli airline special flights to return Israelis stranded abroad.
According to the report, the US warns that the current Israeli policy, which allows only Israeli airlines to fly on the routes, is in violation of aviation agreements between the countries.
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The report said a message had been sent from the Biden administration to Jerusalem stating that US planes would be allowed to fly the routes, in addition to Israeli airlines, to avoid a potential crisis between the two countries.
Passengers arriving in Israel on February 3, 2021 on an emergency flight at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv (Tomer Neuberg / Flash90)
Israel fears the UK will threaten similar sanctions, the report said.
An emergency meeting of the Ministry of Transport on this issue is expected to take place Sunday.
As for the airport’s general closure, Department of Health officials told Channel 13 News that they do not plan to reopen the airport for at least another month.
The government has stepped up precautions in recent weeks to prevent a large-scale outbreak of the highly contagious British and South African variants of the coronavirus.
Citizens who left the country before January 25 and have since been stranded abroad are allowed to return to the country, but are immediately taken to quarantine hotels upon arrival. They stay there for two weeks, or ten days if they test negative twice within a certain number of days.
People who have landed on a flight from England will arrive at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Jerusalem on December 20, 2020, which is used as a quarantine facility. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
However, the number of flights currently operated by El Al is limited and only flies on a few selected routes.
In recent days, the number of new coronavirus infections in Israel every day has slowly but surely declined, as the effects of the prolonged lockdown and the vaccination campaign are felt.
According to figures from the Ministry of Health, Israel registered 4,595 new coronavirus infections on Friday evening, of the 67,143 tests carried out. Meanwhile, 992 patients were reported in serious condition, including 296 who received ventilation equipment. According to figures from the ministry, the death toll rose to 5,340 on Saturday night.
As of Saturday night, 3,820,505 people in Israel received the first of two vaccinations, while 2,453,631 received the second.