Video: Muslims use Ben Gurion Airport synagogue as mosque, prayer shawls as prayer rugs
This disturbing video was shot in the Ben Gurion Airport synagogue, apparently on Sunday night or Monday morning. I first saw it on Facebook last night when the holiday ended.
Let's go to the videotape. More after the video.
To me, the question is why the airport synagogue was open at all on a day when it was clear that there were not going to be any Orthodox Jews passing through. Chabad is in charge of the synagogue, and someone ought to make sure that they see this video if they have not already.
According to the Facebook post, the Muslims in the video are Turkish and wandered into the synagogue by 'accident.' There are several night flights to Istanbul from Ben Gurion on Turkish Airlines....
Hysterical: As Obama rushes to leave Israel, Clinton wants to shmooze
This video is apparently all over the internet. President Obama gave former President Bill Clinton a ride back from Shimon Peres' funeral on Friday night. Maybe Obama was afraid that they would close the airport for the Sabbath and not let him out. Or maybe he just wanted to leave. But Clinton clearly wanted to stay.
Let's go to the videotape.
I can tell you this much: There are very few commercial flights leaving here at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon. Heh.
Could implementing Israeli airport security actually save Americans money?
I've been arguing for years that Americans would be safer at a lower cost if they adopted Israeli style airport security. Now, in a scathing indictment of the TSA and its creators (Congress with enhancements by the Obama administration), the same argument is being made by John Tierny.
It was the federal government, not the private screeners, that set
the policy allowing small knives and box cutters to be brought onto
planes. Federal guidelines prevented airlines from arming pilots and
reinforcing cockpit doors. The feds also stopped the private security
firms from using an existing system to identify high-risk passengers,
which would have singled out some of the hijackers for special
screening.
Instead of learning from those mistakes, the Senate doubled down on
central planning, voting unanimously to turn airport screening into a
federal monopoly. The only intelligent deliberation occurred in the
House of Representatives, where Republicans actually listened to experts
from countries with considerable experience in aviation terrorism.
Israel and European nations had learned the hard way that good security
requires a division of responsibility. An independent watchdog is
essential to ensure that screeners are doing their job, and the obvious
candidate for that role is the federal government. But that means that
someone else has to do the screening. The watchdog can’t watch itself.
House Republicans heeded the experts’ advice, and they had the votes
to trump House Democrats yearning for more federal workers. The House
passed a bill to establish a system modeled on the one used in Israel,
Canada, and Europe: each airport would run its own screening system, and
the feds would have wide authority to set standards, monitor
performance, and mandate improvements. When it came time to reconcile
the competing bills, however, Senate Democrats stood firm, and the House
Republicans were denounced for putting ideology above national
security. One of the loudest critics was New York Times columnist
Paul Krugman, who was such an ardent cheerleader for the TSA that he
deserves to have the line at Newark Airport named after him. “The
right’s fanatical distrust of government is the central fact of American
politics, even in a time of terror,” Krugman wrote. Exploiting the
public affection for firefighters after September 11, Krugman argued
that the Republicans’ anti-TSA ideology would logically call for the
elimination of the New York City Fire Department because fire protection
should be a purely private responsibility.
I actually part company with Tierny over the Europeans. In many ways, their security is worse than the Americans. First, like the Americans, they don't profile. Second, they don't screen their screeners well enough, with the result that their airport security is staffed by people who have gone on to commit terrorist attacks. Third, they don't take advantage of the possibility of keeping people with connecting flights in sterile areas, so they don't have to be re-screened. Instead, they throw you out of the sterile area (in many instances, even if you're changing planes in the same terminal), requiring you to go through security again.
Last month, I was 'randomly selected' at Paris-DeGaulle (despite only connecting there, and despite being an elite flyer and old enough not to fit anyone's terrorist profile) for 'extra screening' on my way to board a flight to Philadelphia. I was practically strip searched, and the idiot went through every one of the nearly 20 pockets in my backpack with obviously no clue of what it was he was supposed to look for.
So, no, I don't want a European system. I want an Israeli one where people who have training in psychology profile passengers instead of randomly picking people out of a line like me or like the lady at the top of this post.
Like all government monopolies, the TSA blames its failures on lack
of funding. But it’s already spending way too much, as demonstrated in a
congressional study
comparing TSA screeners in Los Angeles with non-TSA screeners in San
Francisco, one of the few airports allowed to run its own system,
contracting with a private company. If LAX switched to the San Francisco
model, the study concluded, it could cut its screening costs by more
than 40 percent.
The San Francisco private company’s screeners received the same
salary and benefits as TSA screeners, but they were so much better
trained and deployed that each one processed 65 percent more passengers
than a TSA screener in Los Angeles. They apparently enjoyed better
working conditions, too, because they were much less likely to quit
their jobs. And in tests by federal investigators, they were three times
better at detecting contraband.
As far as I am aware, Israel's system is all government run (although, come to think of it, I don't recall ever hearing that they went on strike, which all government unions do from time to time). But the key (other than the profiling) is that Israel's system has redundancy. They have more than one shot at catching terrorists. There's security before you ever get near the airport. If you arrive in a taxi, the security guard nearly always rolls down the window and asks where you're coming from - to hear your accent. If they're suspicious, the car is pulled over and searched. There's a security guard standing outside each door to the terminal, randomly pulling people over. You wait in a long line that moves VERY quickly to screen your checked baggage. Before they screen your checked baggage, they ask who packed it and where was it, and do you know why they're asking that question (Anne Murphy). They're looking for your manner (because they're trained in psychology) more than your answers. They always ask you if anyone gave you something to take with you. Usually, I just say no. A few months ago, I brought back a Torah scroll for someone and I spilled the beans to El Al (not Heathrow) security in London. They asked me who gave it to me and how well I knew the person. They were satisfied with my answers and let it go.
And then there's the security screening you're all used to abroad, which splits into 15-20 lines, most of which are not more than 10 minutes long. I usually get through all the security screening in 30-45 minutes and I have no priority status in Ben Gurion. That's no longer than anyplace else (one of the frequent excuses I hear why the Israeli system cannot be implemented elsewhere).
In Europe, when I'm not checking a bag, it takes about the same time (although in London that's only because I'm fast-tracked as an elite flyer with a British Airways partner - Heathrow is one of the worst airports in which to transfer if you have no privileges).
In the US, they don't screen checked bags until after they get them, and I get through security more quickly in most airports because (a) I'm an elite flyer (exception - Philadelphia where there's no such thing) or (b) I get TSA pre-cleared (always happens in Boston, usually in Chicago, rarely in Philadelphia).
TSA clearly needs to be reformed. It won't happen with Obama in power (he allowed them to unionize in 2011, which is what's preventing more airports from opting out) and it won't happen if Hillary Clinton wins the election either.
Just a quick note to let you all know that it's a travel day today. When you see this post, I will be taking off for London. Will try to post more from there. (You know you haven't been posting a lot when your boss asks if you're swamped with work because you've been posting so little :-)
Passengers on an Iberia flight from Madrid to Tel Aviv on Wednesday reported that the pilot welcomed them to 'Palestine' on landing.
During the flight from Madrid by Spain’s
national carrier, the pilot announced in Spanish that he was preparing
to land “in Tel Aviv, in Palestine.” In English, he subsequently said he
was preparing to land “in Tel Aviv,” and did not repeat the “Palestine”
comment; neither did he say “Israel.”
Lior, a passenger on the flight, told Channel 2 news that he was “a little bit shocked.”
“I don’t understand why he said this,” said
Lior. “We live in the State of Israel and he should have said ‘Israel.’
There was a reason he didn’t say it in English. It was deliberate.”
Another passenger said “everyone noticed” that the pilot didn’t mention Israel by name.
One of the passengers sent a letter to the
company complaining about the pilot’s conduct, saying he and his family
“were very offended,” and adding, “It is inappropriate and does serve
your company well,” Channel 2 reported.
The Spanish news website 20 Minutos reported
on Thursday morning that the Israeli ambassador in Madrid penned a
“tough letter” to the president of Iberia in which he asked him to take
disciplinary measures against the pilot.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that an Iberia
spokeswoman in Israel apologized on behalf of the airline and said the
pilot who made the announcement would not be flying the route to Israel
until the matter was fully investigated by the airline.
Iberia is now denying that the pilot said 'Palestine.'
After speaking with “members of both cockpit and cabin crews and with
other passengers on board” to clarify the situation, Iberia has
determined “the word ‘Palestine’ was not used in the announcement,”
according to a statement posted on the airline’s website.
“The captain adhered to the standard format, in which only the
airports of origin and destination are named, and not countries,
regions, or territories,” Iberia said.
The announcement was first made in Spanish and then in English. The
airline claims the captain said, “Dear passengers, we’re now descending
to land at our destination, Tel Aviv.”
However, passengers may have been confused, according to Iberia.
“Both the airline and the crew regret the misunderstanding, which
could have been caused by the similar sound of the Spanish word
‘destino,’ meaning ‘destination’, with ‘Palestina.’ No such confusion
was caused by the message in English, passengers said.”
If he had said 'Israel' or 'Palestine,' it would have been a breach of protocol. I fly a lot, and I don't recall ever hearing an airline pilot announce the name of the country in whose airport we were landing.
'Sources' accuse @AmericanAir of selling out to anti-Israel crowd
'Industry sources' are accusing @AmericanAir of stopping service to Israel out of a desire to please its partners in the OneWorld alliance.
“Profitability wasn’t a problem,” said an industry source, who asked not to be identified. “The past year hasn’t been easy for the airline industry in general, but that’s far from saying that the route wasn’t profitable. No one would have operated a money-losing route for so many years.”
American made the decision due to the OneWorld global alliance, whose members include Arab carriers like Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian and the carrier of the Muslim-majority Asian country Malaysia, asserted the source.
Oneworld is the third largest global alliance in terms of passengers flown by its member carriers, behind Star Alliance and SkyTeam. American was one the founding airlines of Oneworld, which helps smooth connections between member airlines and coordinate frequent-flier benefits.
American flew about 95,000 passengers on the route so far this year, an increase of 2.7% from the same time in 2014, according to Israel Airport Authority figures.
But a spokesman for the carrier, Casey Norton, told Bloomberg News that the airline lost $20 million last year on the route and that it had never been profitable. “It is strictly a financial decision,” Norton said.
American began flying to Israel almost two years ago after it took over the route in a merger with US Airways, which had been serving Israel since 2009. After the merger, American signaled its commitment to the Israel route by sending a team of executives to Israel. In meetings with the media, they vowed to expand the route and add U.S. destinations.
Now a team of American executives is due to arrive in Israel next week to oversee the practical steps of shutting down the route. The fate of the 19 staff the carrier now employs in Israel is unclear – sales will likely be taken over by an independent agent.
Sorry - I don't buy the 'financial reasons' for shutting down the route (at least not the claim that it was a money loser), but I don't buy this either. Here's a list of the other airlines in the OneWorld alliance that fly into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport: Air Berlin, British Airways, FinnAir, Iberia and (ha! ha!) Royal Jordanian. No, they aren't stopping the flight here because of OneWorld.
I would bet that the real reason is those former TWA employees. $15 million is a lot of money for a route that probably makes a fraction of that every year.
Oh and remember when American ended their code sharing relationship with El Al? It was back again on European flights almost immediately. No, you can't earn American miles for an El Al flight anymore, but you can earn and redeem miles on El Al flights using American code share numbers.
Say it ain't so: @AmericanAir to stop flying to Tel Aviv
By 5:00 am on Friday, I had two emails asking me if it was really true that American Airlines is going to stop flying its Tel Aviv - Philadelphia route. As a Platinum frequent flier with 500,000 miles on American, I have a small stake in that decision. Unfortunately, the answer appears to be yes.
American Airlines announced Friday that it will close its Tel Aviv-Philadelphia route in 2016.
The decision was made based on financial considerations, the airline said.
The
last direct flight from Philadelphia to Tel Aviv will be on January 4,
2016. The final Tel Aviv to Philadelphia flight will take place the next
day.
Dormant complications between former Trans World Airlines employees
and American Airlines are rekindling after American merged with US
Airways, which currently operates flights from the United States to
Israel.
The tension between the former workers and the airline began when
American acquired TWA’s assets in 2001 and discontinued service to
Israel. According to newspaper reports at the time, the move left over
75 people without jobs and pension benefits. The situation spurred a
nine-year legal battle between the former TWA employees and American,
which was settled four years ago in court.
TWA operated non-stop flights from the U.S. to Israel for over a half a century before it was forced into bankruptcy.
That article was from 2014, which means that the settlement was in 2010. One can only wonder why American settled (they rejected the TWA contracts in bankruptcy court, which is completely legal in the US). They could have ignored the former TWA employees... except that they wanted to operate in Israel, which would not regard the American bankruptcy court ruling as the last word. That must mean that the market here is lucrative. And it is. We have a huge tourism industry for a country this size, and British and Lufthansa - the two largest European carriers here - keep adding flights. United and Delta have never complained about having problems turning a profit here. If American can't make it flying here out of Philadelphia, they could surely make it out of Miami or Chicago or San Francisco, all of which have huge traffic to Israel (the latter being largely high tech types and not necessarily tourists) who don't have direct flights here. So what gives? Well, here's a hint:
American still owes Israeli ex-TWA employees over $15 million.
However American is saying that the reason for the cancellation is that the route has always been a money-loser.
That’s rather curious as USAirways’ president Scott Kirby has called
the route among the most lucrative in their system. Newark-Tel Aviv was
also publicly called the most profitable in Continental’s system in the
past.
Of course profit is a funny thing. United CEO Jeff Smisek lied about Cleveland’s hub not being profitable when the real reason for the cuts was a severe regional jet pilot shortage. But
that couldn’t be the stated public reason because that would make
United liable to pay millions of dollars to Cleveland and Ohio for
pulling out against their promise to keep the Cleveland hub alive as
long as it remained profitable. United is even adding flights back to
Cleveland , including several nonstops to Florida and more routes will
be returned as well according to sources.
Profit can easily be manipulated by
attributing various costs to the flight. And no doubt the cost of paying
back the ex-TWA workers is a factor here.
Or perhaps American doesn’t want to pay off TWAs debts to avoid
setting a precedent of paying off TWAs debts when they only purchased
TWAs assets in the first place?
At any rate, American is stating that they will not be serving Tel
Aviv from other hubs. Both their JFK and Miami routes are natural fits
for service to Tel Aviv, so if American’s issues are ever resolved I’d
expect routes from those hubs rather than Philadelphia.
American will be contacting customers booked to fly
the Philadelphia-Tel Aviv route next year with options for alternate
arrangements or a refund.
So it's the Israeli employees after all? I've seen that pension liability estimated at $15-20 million, which is a lot of money for 75 employees - about half a million dollars each. There's no Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation here like in the US. On the other hand, one has to wonder how a bunch of ticket agents (hint: There were no pilots based here) built pensions that size.
By the way, one of the upshots of that episode is that when you check in at the airport with any airline other than El Al, the person checking you in is almost always an airport employee and not an employee of the foreign airline. How do I know that? Because I've had enough conversations with British Airways and American (USAir) agents in the last two years. When they tell me they've never been to London or the US, it's pretty obvious they're not airline employees (the biggest perk of being an airline employee is free airfare).
In any event, at least one Philadelphia Congressman is furious about this.
Congressman Chaka Fattah (PA-02),
released a statement after the announcement by American Airlines today
that they will stop service on their nonstop route between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv effective January 4:
"I am strongly opposed to the decision announced today by American
Airlines to cancel this flight route. It is a critically important
route, both for the constituents in my district who travel between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv, and also for the growing business relationship between our city and Israel.
The effects of this decision will not only hurt tourism between our two
countries, it will have a negative impact on our economies. The ease
and accessibility offered by this flight had significant long-term
potential to stimulate growth and communication.
"I hope to work with American Airlines to see if there is an
alternative solution to cancelling the route and will seek a meeting
with the appropriate officials in the coming weeks to discuss options to
keep this flight operating."
Okay, so it's kind of funny to see Chaka Fattah making such a fuss about this. His last appearance on this blog was here.
I'm sure a few of you are going to wonder what I'm going to do with all that mileage. I'll probably just keep right on flying, but it's going to be harder to accumulate and use the mileage. Here's why:
1. There was no mileage for American frequent fliers on USAir until quite recently. Until March of this year, I had never flown the USAir flight. I've flown it once to Philadelphia and twice to Tel Aviv since March. Where were all my other trips? (I'm going for the 5th time this year later this month). Mostly British, at least until London, but in the last two years I have also flown out of Israel on Iberia, FinnAir and Air Berlin.
2. Nearly all of El Al's European flights now have American code share numbers. I can accumulate mileage that way... but I can only do it on the way back to Israel if I can limit myself to one suitcase.... (Fat chance).
3. Other than American, the only airlines in the OneWorld group that come in here that give full mileage credit for any leg into or out of Israel are British and FinnAir. Iberia gives you 80% in coach on Madrid-Tel Aviv flights, and Air Berlin gives as little as 25% depending on how much you pay for your ticket. By the way, I flew FinnAir Tel Aviv - Helsinki - London either last winter or the winter before and they were a pleasure.
4. It would take me six months or more to reach the point where I can choose my own seats in advance on any other airline group. Six months of sitting with my knees against the seat in front of me (and I'm only 5'8")....
5. British and Iberia both charge huge fees for 'free' travel - $350 per leg the last time I checked. But as an elite flyer I may be exempt from that which will give me opportunities to use my mileage.
6. One thing I will NOT do is switch to El Al (yes, I have a number, but I rarely use it). I'm not flying an airline that takes away my mileage every 18 months whether or not I fly. I'd rather accumulate my miles and use them for big family trips and the like.
Anyone who has advice, please feel free to chime in....
Seven Turks detained at Ben Gurion, deported to Turkey, barred for ten years
A reminder to all of you that I am currently in Boston where the Sabbath does not start for several more hours.
Nine Turkish citizens who arrived in Israel on Turkish Airlines on Thursday were interrogated for several hours at Ben Gurion Airport, and seven of them were sent back to Turkey and banned for ten years according to a report in Turkey's pro-government Today's Zaman (Hat Tip: Joshua I). According to the newspaper, the group was made up of 'journalists and activists' who were heading to Jerusalem for a 'charity event.'
Nine Turkish citizens, including pro-government Star daily columnist
Halime Kökçe, Ülke TV Editor-in-Chief Hasan Öztürk, head of the Turkish
charity Sadakataşı and several activists, were detained at the airport.
Kökçe said seven people from the group were deported while a cameraman
and a reporter from state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation
(TRT) were allowed to enter the country.
On her personal Twitter account, Kökçe posted, “We were interrogated for six hours. We were searched for two hours.”
After coming back to İstanbul on Friday, Sadakataşı President Kemal
Özdal, who was among those detained in Israel, said the group was on its
way to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for iftar (the evening meal to break
the Ramadan fast) when they were stopped by the Israelis.
He said as soon as they arrived in Ben Gurion Airport by a Turkish
Airlines flight, Israeli security officials accompanied the Turkish
group and at passport control the group was detained by Israeli
intelligence officials. Özdal said their passports and phones were taken
and the group went through a long interrogation by the Israelis.
According to Özdal, after the questioning they were deported and banned
from entering Israel for the next 10 years. He also said President Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan, interim Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Foreign
Ministry officials tried to help the group.
Öztürk from Ülke TV also made a statement at Atatürk Airport in
İstanbul, saying he was in Israel only two months ago and he doesn't
understand why this time he was deported without a valid reason. “Israel
acts arbitrarily and it is an anti-democratic state. Others criticize
Turkey for press freedoms. Go and tell this to the Israelis,” he said.
Kökçe said she hoped to see Al-Aqsa Mosque, Ramallah and Gaza but instead she was met with “Israel's real face.”
Here's a hint that there might be more to it:
Civil Servants' Trade Union (Memur-Sen) Vice President Levent Uslu also
said that the group had expected to be treated badly by Israel, but he
didn't elaborate as to why. Uslu complained that they were asked odd
questions such as the names of their grandfathers or which party they
voted for in the last election.
Haaretz reports that they were banned because of Hamas ties. The Hebrew version of the article, which can be accessed in full here, doesn't say any more except to add that the Israeli ambassador to Turkey was summoned on Friday morning to 'explain' why the group was barred from entering.
Where's the outrage over US spying? CIA agents instructed how to avoid secondary screening at Ben Gurion
Wikileaks has released a CIA document entitled "CIA Assessment on Surviving Secondary Screening at Airports While Maintaining Cover." The document, which is dated September 2011, has instructions for CIA agents traveling on false identities on how to avoid secondary screenings at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport.
"Secondary screening – a potentially lengthy and detailed look by
airport officials at passengers not passing initial scrutiny – can
significantly stress the identities of operational travelers," reads the
introduction. "Referral to secondary screening can occur if
irregularities or questions arise during any stage of airport processing
– immigration, customs, or security – and regardless of whether the
traveler is arriving, in transit, or departing. Officials may also
randomly select travelers."
...
The document details the reasons that could lead to security agents at
Ben-Gurion to refer a traveler to secondary screening. "A review of
clandestine reporting reveals examples of what various countries
consider to be suspicious," it is written.
"Israel’s security personnel focus on frequent travel to Islamic
countries," the document explains. "Security personnel at Ben Gurion
Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, commonly refer military-aged males
traveling alone with backpacks to secondary screening, regardless of
their nationality or skin color."
The document includes a detailed description of secondary checks at Ben-Gurion.
"At Ben Gurion airport in Israel, the secondary screening room contains
trace-detection equipment for explosive residue; tools for dismantling
passengers’ personal items for inspection, particularly items unfamiliar
to security officers; and a disrobing area, divided by privacy
curtains, to conduct strip searches of individuals, if necessary,"
according to the document.
The CIA's internal guide book also refers to an internal manual from
2004 published by International Consultants on Targeted Security, an
Israeli-founded company, which provides security advice to various
governments on matters such as profiling techniques. The manual
reportedly "lists suspicious signs in passenger behavior, documentation,
tickets, or baggage." The document adds, "Although dated, the ICTS
guidelines probably are typical and remain valid."
Now imagine what would happen if a Mossad manual were released that showed how to avoid being stopped at TSA checks in the US.... I know - it would be laughable.... But you can bet the Americans would be outraged.
This line is particularly telling:
"With the exception of Israel’s Ben Gurion airport and a few others,
immigration inspectors conducting primary screenings generally lack the
time and tools to conduct in-depth examination of travelers’ bona
fides," according to the document released by WikiLeaks.
Sounds to this frequent traveler like a great argument for implementing Israeli-style security everywhere....
For the Hebrew-impaired, the tweet reads "Ben Gurion Airport. Would two sit together unless it was arranged?" (It's a take-off on a verse in the Prophets which says "Would two go together unless it was arranged?").
For those who don't recognize the two, they are Tzipi Livni and Yitzchak Herzog, the leader of the Labor party. According to Friday's HaPeles, the free Haredi weekly that is under the direction of Rav Shmuel Auerbach, there is a survey out that claims that if Livni unites with Labor, they will constitute the largest party in the upcoming election.
Can Livni put aside her massive ego to unite with Labor?
After last month's announcement that One World members may no longer accrue mileage or cash in rewards on El Al after October 31, British Airways (one of the airlines in One World) is going for the jugular, by adding one flight per day, bringing its weekly total to 20 flights.
Starting in the summer of 2015, British Airways is raising the seat
capacity on the London-Tel Aviv route by about 50%, the airline
announced today. Six weekly flights will be added, raising the total
number to 20. British Airways says that it operates a longhaul service
on its Tel Aviv-London route, despite the relatively short flight
duration and distance, offering advanced entertainment systems with
personal touchscreens, high quality catering and free offering of
quality soft and alcoholic beverages. All the airline flights on the
route are operated via Heathrow Terminal 5.
British Airways Israel Manager Yael Katan said, “Due to the growing
demand for our service to London and long-distance flights, we have
decided to expand our Israel operation, with a significant increase in
seat capacity and frequency. In addition, we have recently changed our
schedule in order to offer convenient connections to various North
American destinations, specifically in the West Coast which are
extremely popular with our Israeli passengers, such as San Francisco,
Los Angeles and Vegas.”
I don't think this is going to matter to the occasional pleasure traveler, who will continue to choose El Al, but for business travelers for whom scheduling and frequent flier miles matter (El Al is the only airline that takes away your miles even if you have activity in your account), this is deadly. El Al is often several hundred dollars cheaper than British (I've seen a difference of $300-400 in my own reservations), so if British cuts its fares to El Al's levels or close to them, business travelers will be far more likely to choose British.
Israel puts measures in place to stop entry of visitors with Ebola
Shana tova, a good year to all of you. And a reminder: The holiday of Simchat Torah is only one day here in Israel and therefore I'm allowed to be online tonight.
I just went through about an hour's worth of Twitter feed this evening and much of it is about Ebola and the Obama administration's ineffectual response to it (Hat Tip: Memeorandum). Here in Israel, the government is taking steps to ensure that people with the disease are not allowed to enter our country.
As the Ebola scare spreads worldwide, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
issued instructions Thursday evening for more stringent preventive
measures at the entry points into Israel, including taking the body
temperatures of visitors coming from areas badly hit by the disease.
...
A drill will be held at Ben-Gurion Friday morning, simulating the
arrival of a passenger afflicted with the disease. The drill will deal
with the the entire process, from questioning the visitor coming off the
plane, to evacuation and hospital treatment.
Earlier this week,
the prime minister convened a special meeting to discuss the spread of
the deadly virus which has killed more than 4,490 people across the
globe. The discussion concluded that Israel should focus on monitoring
travelers arriving from the most heavily-affected areas: Liberia ,Guinea
and Sierra Leone.
Nearly 9,000 cases of Ebola have been reported
across West African nations as of October 12, according to the World
Health Organization.
As for the situation outside of Africa -
Spain and the United States have seen a handful of cases in their
healthcare communities.
And we don't have 150 passengers per day arriving from Liberia. Let's hope the US and Spain don't join that list.
Someone please tell me I'm going to get home for Rosh HaShanna
My father z"l (of blessed memory), whose grave I am about to go visit, used to say that in Israel, half the country was always on strike, and the other half was always watching. He said this back in the late 70's when it happened much more often than it does today. But today, it seems to be happening again.
Unions representing government workers stepped up their work
sanctions in support of Israel Post Office employees, who are protesting
an efficiency plan they say is likely to get many of them fired. On
Sunday, Israel's courts were effectively closed until further notice, as
court workers refused to accept petitions, complaints, and other
paperwork from citizens.
In addition, workers at border crossings began preventing the
transfer of packages and goods through Israel's eastern and northern
borders. That work action mostly affects Palestinian Authority Arabs,
who import and export goods via the bridge crossings into and out of
Jordan.
Meanwhile, sanctions that were begun last week continued
on Sunday. Tax Authority offices were closed to the public, and
Israelis who owe back taxes can only pay via credit card over the
Internet (penalties and interest, of course, will apply to late payers,
despite the lack of service).
Airports Authority workers held a wildcat strike Thursday morning
that affected 58 departures and arrivals, with 8,000 passengers
experiencing serious delays.
Meanwhile, post offices in most parts of the country are continuing
their strike. The labor disputes surround demands by workers that none
of their number be fired as part of an efficiency plan Post Office
management says is necessary. The Treasury has said that it can give no
such assurances, and that without the efficiency plan, the Post Office
Corporation will go broke by the end of the year.
That ought to help the tourism industry, eh? I really don't feel like spending Rosh HaShanna in Cyprus, but I can rest assured that if anyone doesn't get home before Rosh HaShanna because of one of these inane sympathy strikes, the government will finally bite the bullet and break the unions.
בשביל זה יש הסתדרות (for this we have the Histadrut).
With everything else that has happened over the past two months, Mitchell Bard argues that there was one shot - and only one - that has permanent consequences. It's the shot that killed the 'peace process.'
As dangerous as the overall barrage has been, it was one rocket in
particular that may have completely changed the prospects for a
two-state solution. That rocket did not kill anyone and caused little
direct damage; however, the fact that it was within a mile of Israel's
international airport was enough to scare the United States and most
other countries to cancel their flights in and out of Israel.
Fortunately,
no rockets have come anywhere near a commercial airliner or hit the
airport itself, but the mere possibility was sufficient to put Israel's
economy in potential jeopardy. At the height of the tourist season,
flights were cancelled and Israel's principal artery to the outside
world was isolated.
Imagine if a rocket did hit the airport or was in the vicinity of an
airplane, never mind the catastrophic implications of actually downing a
jet. If Israel gives up strategic territory in the West Bank, one
Palestinian with an animus toward Israel could smuggle or construct a
crude weapon that could reach the airport and, because Iron Dome cannot
hit rockets fired short distances, there would be no defense.
Israelis
legitimately fear that the West Bank, less than 30 miles from Tel Aviv,
6 miles from Ben-Gurion Airport and a few feet from Jerusalem, will
turn into Hamastan where the entire heart of Israel would be within easy rocket range.
How many Israelis will be willing to take this risk now? Would you?
'Mohammed Deif wasn't killed and we'll kill anyone who says he was'
Fox News is reporting that according to Israeli intelligence officials, Mohammed Deif was killed in Tuesday night's airstrike on his home (or was it the rocket division commander's home?) in Sheikh Redwan.
Hamas' military chief is believed to have been killed in an airstrike
in Gaza early Wednesday, Israeli intelligence sources tell Fox News.
Israeli officials said Wednesday the country's military targeted
Mohammed Deif after militants fired rockets at Israeli cities just hours
before a temporary cease-fire was set to expire.
The Times of Israel reported that a house believed to be the home of
Deif was hit early Wednesday. Dief has escaped numerous Israeli
assassination attempts in the past. It was not immediately clear whether
he was there at the time of the attack.
In Cairo, Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas leader, said that among
those killed in the airstrike on the three-story house in Gaza City were
Deif's wife and a child. Three others in the building were also killed.
Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas' military wing, said Israel was
"unable to get to our commander Deif," saying he will "lead the army
that will enter to liberate the holy al-Aqsa mosque" in Jerusalem.
Hamas is also warning foreign airlines not to fly into or out of Ben Gurion Airport after 6:00 am Thursday morning.
"We are warning international airlines and press them to stop flying into Ben Gurion airport from 6 am (0300 GMT) Thursday," Al Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida stated Wednesday, in a televised speech.
The move marks yet another Hamas 'scare attempt' aimed at
harming Israel's economy and security reputation, after a rocket hit
near Ben-Gurion airport last month scared international airlines into
canceling flights for several days.
The cancelations followed a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ban on American carriers flying to Israel; several
European companies followed suit, as had those from Turkey and Jordan.
Israeli national carriers maintained their usual flight schedules.
Overall, however, the move was hailed as a "great victory" for the terror group.
"The success of Hamas in closing Israeli airspace is a great victory
for the resistance, and is the crown of Israel's failure," Hamas
spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said last month.
It will be interesting to see if the FAA bans flights to Israel again. Just yesterday, the instituted a ban on flights to Syria. It only took three years. But no, it's not political, is it?
British columnist: What if a Hamas rocket downed a British Airways plane?
Finally, a British columnist other than Melanie Phillips and Robin Shepherd (and probably a couple of others I'm forgetting) who gets it. Meet Richard Littlejohn of the Daily Mail.
Explain the difference.
Paramilitaries fire a missile which brings down a civilian airliner over Ukraine.
They are widely condemned as murderous gangsters and war criminals who must be hunted down and brought to justice.
Another ruthless gang of paramilitaries fire missiles at a civilian airport in Israel.
They are hailed as heroic ‘resistance fighters’ and receive widespread support in the West.
Let’s just imagine, for a moment, that a rocket fired from Gaza had hit a plane coming in to land at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.
What if a British Airways jet had been brought down over Israel, with a similar loss of life to the 298 people who perished on Malaysian flight MH17?
Would it still be considered appropriate to hold yet another march through London this weekend, waving banners proclaiming ‘We are all Hamas now’?
Look, let me make one thing absolutely clear: what’s happening in Gaza is a terrible tragedy, especially the deaths of non-combatants. No one with a shred of humanity can fail to be disturbed by the plight of innocent children caught in the crossfire.
No, what depresses me is the one-sided apportioning of blame, the idea that Israel is the ‘aggressor’ in this conflict.
FAA weighing resumption of flight ban to Israel. Comes after Air Canada flight aborted landing during missile attack on Tel Aviv today.
— Daniel Nisman (@DannyNis) July 25, 2014
More on the Air Canada story here. The flight had to circle for ten minutes before landing, and left here at 2:00 pm Israel time.
Israelis who found themselves in Turkey when the FAA ban on flying to Israel was announced are stuck. Turkish Airlines is not flying to Israel before July 31, and the Turkish authorities refuse to let El Al in.
Israelis yelled at Turks in Ataturk airport today, after the US
Federal Aviation Administration lifted its ban on flights to Tel Aviv,
and Turkish Airlines responded by extending its ban until July 31.
Placing
nearly four thousand stranded Israelis on outbound flights has been a
challenge, no doubt aggravated by the fact that Turkey will not let El
Al, Israel's national airline, land at its airports to airlift out its
citizens.
One religious Israeli woman, on her third visit to the massive
Turkish hub, said she was prepared to bear the wrath of her family and
break Shabbat if she could just get a flight home on Saturday morning.
But those flights, too, were cancelled, as nearly all European airlines followed the Americans in lifting the ban.
Another
Israeli man complained, quite loudly, that the airline was suggesting
he spend hundreds of dollars to reroute through Amman. Yet another said
she was prepared to travel by boat before remaining in Constantinople
any longer.
Turkish Airlines offered passengers one night free in a four star
hotel, within the city limits here in Istanbul, including food and
transportation to and from the airport.
But with days more on the
ground, Israelis - and foreign nationals planning travel to Israel -
will accrue steep costs to extend their stays.
For those of you who thought you were saving money by flying Turkish, maybe you want to reconsider next trip?
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
