Omicron fears spook Israel as authorities stop 5 SA fliers from entering country

South African travellers to Israel who arrived before the government decided to impose travel restrictions were sent back from the country. Visitors have claimed that authorities from the Population and Immigration Authority treated them like criminals and enemies of the state. Five South Africans arrived at the Ben-Gurion Airport on Friday morning through Dubai, but were denied admission into Israel since the government has prohibited arrivals from most of Africa due to worries about the Omicron COVID-19 variant. Two of the tourists who spoke to the Jerusalem Post said their passports were seized by Immigration Authority employees who refused to provide them with any information, were impolite and aggressive, and threatened them with arrest.

The two visitors were friends of Eli Kay's family, who had come to pay a shiva mourning visit and support the family of the 26-year-old immigrant who was killed in a terrorist assault last week, according to an AP report. These two along with the other three tourists boarded a flight from Johannesburg around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, just before the government issued an order prohibiting any new entries. That order had taken effect before they boarded their flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, but Israeli officials in Dubai neglected to tell the passengers of the decision or to prevent them from boarding the trip. They were escorted to a waiting room at Ben-Gurion Airport, where they waited for almost an hour before being marched back to the departure area and having their baggage searched for security, again without anyone informing them of what was going on.

South African Jews claim they were ill-treated and threatened by the authorities

Blumenau, one of the visitor, who is Jewish, is not a devout follower of the faith but tries to avoid travelling on Shabbat if feasible. He expressed his dissatisfaction with being forced to fly on Shabbat for the flight back to Dubai and then on to Johannesburg. “We were treated as enemies of the state,” he said to AP. “They didn’t want to hear anything, there was absolutely no discussion, they didn’t want to have a conversation with us as if we were not normal people," he added, according to the media agency. He claimed that while Israel was correct in protecting itself from COVID-19, it was not managing foreign visitors appropriately.

Ilana Smith, who was on the same trip, expressed her displeasure with the way she and the other four passengers were treated. Smith told the officials that she was a religious observant and that placing her on the plane was causing her to break Shabbat. The immigration officer told her that he is also Jewish and that he doesn't care because they have more pressing issues to deal with, she told the Jerusalem Post. He then threatened to arrest her and compel her to board the plane if she refused, and he dispatched three security officers to the scene to back up his claim.

However, according to the media agency, the Population and Immigration Authority stated that the border inspectors of the Population and Immigration Authority are making significant and effective efforts to treat every tourist in a dignified and respectful manner. They added that those who wait in the Ben-Gurion Airport for a long time are given food, and there are drink vending machines in any case.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP