Israel Halts Air Traffic Due to COVID Spike

Stand for Israel | January 27, 2021

ISRAEL-HEALTH-VIRUS-AVIATION — This picture taken on January 24, 2021, shows a view of the empty baggage-claim area at the terminal of Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv. - The Israeli government on January 24 banned incoming and outgoing flights for a week, a statement said, in a bid to slow the spread of Covid-19 variants. Exceptions will be made for cargo and firefighting flights, as well as medical treatments, funerals and legal procedures. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier this week, Israel closed Ben Gurion airport to all incoming and outgoing flights, in order to combat a harsh third wave of coronavirus cases and prevent variants of the virus from entering the country. They even took the unprecedented step of temporarily halting aliyah:

Travelers will be prevented from entering or leaving the country except in cases approved by a special committee. The ban on entering Israel includes new immigrants making aliyah, marking the first time that immigration under the Law of Return has been halted in the history of the country.

Please continue to pray for Israel, and the entire world, in this time of crisis.