The U.S. Department of Transportation has demanded that Israel allow U.S. airlines to make rescue flights for imprisoned Israelis, or prevent El Al flights from landing in the United States, Channel 12 reported on Saturday.
Israel’s land and air gates have been practically closed since January 25, with Ben Gurion Airport closed to all but a few special flights by Israeli airlines to return Israelis stranded abroad.
According to the report, the United States warns that current Israeli policy, which only allows Israeli airlines to fly routes, is against aviation agreements between nations.
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The report reports that a message from the Biden government was sent to Jerusalem saying that American planes should be allowed to fly on the routes, in addition to Israeli carriers, to avoid a potential crisis between the two countries.
Passengers arriving in Israel on an emergency flight at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on February 3, 2021 (Tomer Neuberg / Flash90)
Israel fears the United Kingdom will threaten with similar sanctions, according to the report.
An emergency meeting of the Ministry of Transport on the matter is scheduled for Sunday.
As for the general closure of the airport, Ministry of Health officials told Canal 13 News that they do not plan to recommend reopening the airport for at least another month.
The government has stepped up its precautionary measures in recent weeks to prevent a widespread 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 on arrival. They stay there for two weeks or ten days if the test is negative twice in a given number of days.
People who landed on a flight from England arrive at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Jerusalem, which is being used as a quarantine facility, on December 20, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
However, the number of flights, currently operated by El Al, is limited and flies only a few selected routes.
In the past few days, we have seen a slow but consistent decline in new daily coronavirus infections in Israel, as the effects of the long blockade and vaccination campaign are felt.
According to data from the Ministry of Health on Saturday night, Israel registered 4,595 new coronavirus infections on Friday, out of 67,143 tests performed. Meanwhile, 992 patients were listed in serious condition, including 296 who were on ventilators. The death toll rose to 5,340 on Saturday night, according to ministry figures.
On Saturday night, 3,820,505 people in Israel received the first of the two vaccines, while 2,453,631 received the second.