Moments before boarding: six ultra-Orthodox deserters arrested at Ben Gurion Airport
At the peak of the rush and moments before the airlift to Uman, ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers were caught by Ben Gurion Airport security teams. A check revealed active draft orders preventing their departure from the country.
Six ultra-Orthodox deserters were arrested at Ben Gurion Airport. Two of them were caught in Terminal 1, and four others were apprehended in Terminal 3 while attempting to sneak out of the country. A check revealed that there are active draft orders against them preventing their departure abroad.
Recently, a new policy was formulated to close security loopholes that have been exploited in recent months. The identified security gap involved draft dodgers sticking to other passengers at passport control to exit without getting their passports stamped.
All six individuals were transferred to the Population and Immigration Authority for further processing. Previously, authorities reported an increase in the presence of Israel Airports Authority personnel, Military Police, and the Population and Immigration Authority due to a rise in attempts by deserters to sneak out of the country ahead of Rosh Hashanah, as thousands of believers travel to Uman to visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.
The joint initiative by the Ministry of Transport, the Population Authority, and the IDF aims to secure passport control stations located before the duty-free area. These stations will now be reinforced with military police and Ministry of Transport representatives to assist inspectors.
In addition to increased personnel, a dedicated detention vehicle will be stationed in the airside area of the airport to handle those attempting to bypass departure procedures. These heightened security measures are being implemented in anticipation of a significant increase in passenger volume.
