JERUSALEM (AP) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Israel will close its international airport on near-long flights as the government runs to control a coronavirus outbreak.
The entry of highly contagious variants of coronavirus, along with poor application of safety standards in ultra-Orthodox communities, has contributed to one of the highest infection rates in the world. It has also threatened to downgrade the success of Israel’s campaign to vaccinate its population against the virus.
At the end of Sunday, the Israeli cabinet approved what Netanyahu said would be a tight closure of inbound and outbound air traffic. The government said it would make exceptions for a small number of humanitarian cases, such as funerals and medical patients, and cargo flights.
“We are closing the sky tightly, with very rare exceptions, to prevent the entry of virus mutations and also to ensure that we move forward quickly with our vaccination campaign,” Netanyahu said.
The order will start early Tuesday and will remain in effect until January 31st. Netanyahu’s office said the order still required parliamentary legislation to be finalized.
Throughout the pandemic, Israel has restricted entry to its main international airport. But it has made exceptions for certain categories of people, including religious and Israeli students returning from abroad, while allowing Israeli tourists to fly to a handful of “green countries.” This limited air travel seems to allow highly contagious coronavirus variants to enter the country from the UK and elsewhere.
The Israeli Ministry of Health has recorded more than 595,000 cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic and more than 4,361 deaths. New cases of the disease continue to rise, although the country has launched one of the most successful vaccination campaigns in the world and is in the midst of a third national closure.
Israeli authorities have struggled to enforce compliance in ultra-Orthodox communities. On Sunday, religious protesters clashed with police in several cities.
Throughout the pandemic, many large ultra-Orthodox sects have breached security rules, continuing to open schools, praying in synagogues, and celebrating mass weddings at funerals. This has contributed to a disproportionate infection rate, as the ultra-Orthodox community accounts for more than a third of Israel’s coronavirus cases, while accounting for just over 10% of the population.
In Jerusalem, police fired tear gas and stinking water to disperse a crowd of hundreds of ultra-Orthodox residents outside a reopened school. Protesters shouted, “Get out of here, Nazis,” in front of officers who were filmed arresting participants.
In the coastal city of Ashdod, police clashed with dozens of protesters in front of an ultra-Orthodox school. In the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, large crowds of protesters expelled journalists. A policeman fired into the air while surrounded by a crowd of protesters.
Five police officers were injured in the disputes and at least four people were arrested, according to police.
With the country experiencing a coronavirus outbreak, the Israeli government last week extended the country’s third national shutdown until the end of January.
Sunday’s clashes were the latest incident of intense tensions over the enforcement of blockade rules in Israel’s ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. On Friday, ultra-Orthodox Israelis attacked a police vehicle in the town of Bnei Brak, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. A crowd threw stones at the police car and punctured his tires.