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The US Department of Transportation has demanded that Israel allow US airlines to conduct rescue flights for stranded Israelis, or it will prevent El Al flights from landing in the United States, Channel 12 reported on Saturday.
Israel’s land and air gateways have been largely closed since January 25, with Ben-Gurion Airport closed for all special flights by Israeli airlines, except for a few flights, to send stranded Israelis back home. ‘foreign.
According to the report, the United States warns that the current Israeli policy, which only allows Israeli airlines to follow the routes, is against air deals between nations.
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The report said a message had been sent by the Biden administration to Jerusalem saying that US planes should be allowed to follow the routes, in addition to Israeli carriers, to avoid a potential crisis between the two countries.
Passengers arriving in Israel on an emergency flight to Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on February 3, 2021 (Tomer Neuberg / Flash90)
Israel fears the UK is threatening similar sanctions, according to the report.
An emergency Ministry of Transport meeting on the matter is expected to take place on Sunday.
Regarding the general airport closure, health ministry officials told Channel 13 News that they do not plan to recommend that the airport reopen for at least a month.
The government has increased 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 re-enter 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 in a certain number of days.
People who landed on a flight from England arrive at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Jerusalem, which is 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 only serves a few selected routes.
The past few days have seen a slow but steady decline in new daily coronavirus infections in Israel, as the effects of the long lockdown and vaccination drive kick in.
According to figures from the Ministry of Health on Saturday evening, Israel recorded 4,595 new coronavirus infections on Friday, out of 67,143 tests carried out. At the same time, 992 patients were listed in serious condition, including 296 on ventilators. The death toll climbed to 5,340 on Saturday night, according to ministry figures.
On Saturday evening, 3,820,505 people in Israel received the first of two vaccines, while 2,453,631 received the second.
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