Our Trip Back To Israel This Past Sunday

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Yom Chamishee

Thursday

16 Sivan 5781

May 27 2021

The News on the Street In Israel

It has been an especially troubling 24 hours here in Israel. Here are 5 reasons why:

1. This morning gas and fuel trucks began pouring through the Kerem Shalom Crossing into Gaza. It was barely a week ago that terrorists in Gaza were using electrically operated hydraulic launchers to send 5100 missiles into Israel, and now we are replenishing their supply of fuel.

A truly nauseating sight. Fuel being supplied to the terrorists in Gaza this morning at the Kerem Shalom Crossing..

It is egregiously disgusting.

2. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Hevron yesterday where he met with Issa Amro, a leading Palestinian terrorist who has been convicted multiple times in Israeli military courts.

Blinken with Amro (left) in Hevron yesterday.

At the same time, Blinken announced that the Palestinians would be receiving a $360 million aid package from the Biden Administration.

Both actions are simply disgusting.

3. The IDF announced this morning that because of the fear of Arab unrest, the swearing-in ceremony of the Nahal Brigade will not be held at the Western Wall Plaza.

The Nahal recruits being sworn in at the Kotel last year. It won’t happen this year because the IDF and Israel Police are afraid.

It is embarrassingly disgusting.

4.  A police officer who received an Award for Valor in 2015 for stopping a terrorist stabbing attack by killing the terrorist at the Hanevim intersection in Jerusalem was summoned for questioning under the orders of Attorney General Mandelblit on suspicion of a “causing the terrorist’s death by negligence”.

Mandelblit’s action is incomprehensibly disgusting.

5.  Two years ago in Kfar Saba, 61 year old Batya Lebel was stabbed 14 times all over her body by a Palestinian terrorist. She was only saved when a passerby fired two shots which killed the terrorist. Yesterday, in pleadings before the Israel High Court of Justice, the Netanyahu government argued that the terrorist’s home should not be demolished “because too much time has passed.”

It is just flat out disgusting.

TODAY’S BLOG

Our Trip Back To Israel This Past Sunday

As an informational blog to those of you who may be coming to Israel in the near future, your humble servant would like to warn you of the obstacles ahead.

On Sunday night, my wife and I flew nonstop from San Francisco to Tel Aviv on United Airlines flight 954. Everyone on the flight was either an Israeli citizen or someone with special dispensation (such as a diplomat). We had been trying to leave the U.S. for several weeks but had been stopped each time by the government’s closure of Ben Gurion Airport during the war with Gaza.

By way of context, both my wife and I are dual citizens (she was born in Israel, I in the U.S.); however, for reasons unnecessary to this narrative, she had been vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine before we came came to the U.S. earlier this year; on the other hand, I received my Pfizer vaccination in the U.S.  As you will see below, this has made a quite a difference.

To begin with, in order to fly, we both had to produce a negative RT-PCR Corona test taken within 92 hours of flying. Fortunately, the university town in which we live has been encouraging all residents to have free spit tests since the pandemic began, and so we received our results.

In addition, we had to have filled out a Health Ministry Form required of all travelers to Israel these days. Both documents had to be presented (either in hard copy or digitally at the United Check-In counter).

Once we cleared the busy check-in counter, there were no further tests or questions of any kind except for the usual Israeli security stations we had to pass through. We boarded the plane expecting a 15 hour flight, but were pleasantly surprised to find out it was only going to be 13 hours and 30 minutes. We took off right on time at 8:00 pm Sunday evening.
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The flight itself was comfortable despite the fact that the United Flight attendants were somewhat less amiable than we have come to expect. In any case, we arrived in Tel Aviv almost an hour early at around 7 pm Israel time Monday.

Once we landed, we were deplaned in rows of 5; fortunately we were in the first group out the door. From there it was a long walk/run to the self-check immigration kiosks, and then on to baggage claim.

After having picked up our bags, we exited as normal through the Customs area, but were then directed through the arrivals lobby to the new Corona testing area to the left.

Once there, we had to check in and were then sent to get a swab-Corona test. All of this went very quickly-especially since we were among the first in the room.

While I was being tested, I attempted to ask the person performing the test if my American vaccination card would be recognized by Israel. I wanted to know because I had already been told that if it were unrecognized, then I would have to take a serological test.  My friendly young tester laughingly told me that she had no idea what the Health Ministry would recognize–which she said had been the story during the entire Corona-time in Israel.

There was no cost for the test.

Upon completion, we went out to the taxi stand to wait for Jacky, our long-time driver. He was punctual as usual and ten minutes later we were whizzing our way toward Ashdod talking about the intense bombing Ashdod received during the recent war and about the political mess that has enveloped the country (Jacky is a hard-core Likudnik supporter of Netanyahu).

Even before we arrived an hour later–the drive took twice as long because of heavy traffic–we had received text messages from the Health Ministry that we were in a “bidud” (quarantine) for the next 10 days pending the result of our Covid test at the airport. I was also informed that I needed a serological test with no directions as to when and where to get one. 

We arrived home safely, and almost immediately went to sleep only to wake up at 2 am Tuesday morning.

By 9:00 am, we had received notice that the Corona tests at the airport were negative–and my wife (because of having her vaccination in Israel) was immediately released from quarantine.

By 10:00 am, the saga of my serological test had begun–in Hebrew (thank goodness for my wife who was able to circumnavigate the linguistic waters infinitely better than I). The calls to the Health Ministry were unhelpful, and we spent the day dealing with them.

By Wednesday morning, we had decided the best route was to get the test privately at the Assuta Hospital here in Ashdod at a cost of 220 shekels (about $60). However, at 9:30 am, my wife cajoled my own wonderful Dr. Tatiana on the phone into doing the test on me provided we could run down to the Kupat Holim clinic (about a half mile from the house) by 10:00 am. As you can deduce, we are enrolled in the Israel health care system.

So off we ran, and the good doctor drew the blood and submitted it to the clinic lab.

Which is where things stand at this moment.

But what about you?

If you are not an Israeli citizen, you will minimally need to have:

1. a negative Corona test result before take off

2. another negative Corona test upon arrival (at a cost of at least $45 even for Israeli citizens as of June 1),

3. a serological test (done privately). By the way, if your serological test shows no antibodies, then you must wait for 10 days and then take another RT-PCR test.

The cost of all of these tests will depend on where you have them done.

And that is just to get in the country. Once you are here, you will be quarantined for a period ranging from 2-10 days.

Then, to leave the country, you will have to have another negative test and whatever tests your country demands.

Remember, all of the above applies if you are traveling independently.

The best alternative will probably be to travel with a group, the cost of which will presumably include all the testing charges and possibly the avoidance of time wasted while clearing quarantine.

In fact, beginning this week, and continuing until June 15,  the first stage of the foreign tourism program is underway. 15-20 groups of 5-30 tourists will be approved to enter Israel from a handful of countries. Another 20 tour groups will be placed on standby for additional openings.

And so it goes this morning in the land of milk and honey.