Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he was creating a special interministerial task force, which along with the National Security Council will hammer out a plan to ease restrictions on international travel.
Their plan, details of which have yet to be disclosed, will be brought to the so-called coronavirus cabinet later on Tuesday, followed by a full cabinet vote.
He was referring to the March 23 election, the fourth national vote in two years. Israel does not permit absentee voting, with the exception of diplomats stationed abroad.
“Many Israelis have become refugees in other countries against their will. Many Israelis are in difficult situations. These include pregnant women, the elderly, and single mothers who haven’t seen their children for a long time,” she continued. “There are those who have run out of money. These are Israelis for whom we are responsible. We cannot abandon them.”
While details of the government’s plan remain under wraps, Transportation Minister Miri Regev said Sunday that her ministry would propose a plan to the cabinet whereby all Israelis abroad would be permitted to return to Israel to vote. Hebrew media reports said Monday that the Transportation Ministry plan would also enable Israelis to leave the country, though not to high-infection destinations listed by the government.
Unvaccinated Israelis who enter the country will be forced to self-isolate in state-run hotels or quarantine at home with an electronic bracelet, reports said.
A pilot program forcing Israelis to accept an electronic bracelet as a condition for quarantining at home was rolled out on Monday, as the government struggles to find an alternative to mandatory quarantine in the hotels.
Israel’s land and air gateways have been largely closed since January 25, with Ben Gurion Airport shuttered for all but a few special flights by Israeli and some foreign airlines to bring back citizens stranded abroad, leaving thousands unable to return. Entrance into the country — for a maximum of 2,000 people a day — requires special permission by the government that is granted on a case-by-case basis ahead of a flight.
The government’s permits committee has come under scrutiny, amid reports that Charedim were given preferential treatment while numerous emergency requests by other Israelis were denied.
The report has been contested by many in the media, however. The Kan public broadcaster, citing airport data, on Monday said that the main flight spotlighted in the Channel 12 report as carrying predominantly Charedim had only 68 passengers out of 260, of whom 30 had recovered from the virus and 18 were fully vaccinated.
