During a conference call between the PM, ministers and professional officials, it was decided to transfer the issue to the Ministry's responsibility and resume flights to Israel.
Travelers arrive at Ben Gurion Airport // Photo Archive: Yehonatan Shaul
After the flights fail, the Ministry of Defense takes command: At the end of a conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, Minister of Transport Bezalel Smutrich, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, National Security Council Meir Ben Shabbat, Director General of the Ministry of Health Moshe Bar Siman Good and other factors, this evening (Saturday) Netanyahu decided to transfer the overall responsibility for managing the issue of Israelis returning from abroad to the Ministry of Defense.
Ben Gurion Airport is empty // Photo: Shimon Yaish
Following this decision, the Ministry of Defense will assume responsibility for the project immediately. It was also decided during the conversation that all returnees from abroad would be transferred to the hotel in solitary confinement for 14 days. In the coming hours, the ministers will be given emergency regulations which will enable the decision to be implemented.
Landed from New York - and continued in taxis
As I recall, this morning a United Airlines flight from New York landed in Israel and its passengers entered the country without being transported to a controlled isolation hotel. A similar case occurred two days ago, in both cases, since there is no public transport and all citizens of the state are in closure, only one option was available to landers on the same flight, to board houses and contrary to directives to land anyone in Israel.
Both flights came from New York, one of the world's biggest centers of the Corona eruption today. Reportedly, among the most significant eruption areas in New York are neighborhoods where quite a few Jews live.
Following this series of cases, Netanyahu decided to halt all incoming passenger flights until the regulation of the transfer of passengers for insulation in hotels at their landing by the Home Front soldiers - which was done this evening.