Latest news with #strandedIsraelis
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Israel parliamentary panel demands compensation for Israelis stranded during Iran conflict
The head of an Israeli parliamentary committee told the Finance Ministry on Thursday to come up with a compensation plan by next week for Israelis stranded abroad during last month's conflict with Iran or the panel would impose one. Tens of thousands of Israelis were unable to return to the country for much of the 12-day conflict that began in mid-June since Israel's airspace was largely closed due to daily incoming rocket fire from Iran. Both foreign and Israeli carriers were forced to halt flights to Tel Aviv. Many stranded travelers incurred heavy costs despite either receiving money back for the cancelled flights or a seat on a so-called rescue flight from one of Israel's airlines. The Economic Affairs Committee has been debating the issue for a week and representatives from Israel's carriers said they have received increasing numbers of compensation claims. A Finance Ministry representative told the committee that the ministry was reviewing data to propose a compensation framework. 'If the Finance Ministry doesn't complete its review soon, the committee will issue a decision that, in cases of third-party claims, could serve as a basis for the courts to hold the state liable,' said David Bitan, head of the economics committee and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party. 'I can make that decision – but I want a compromise.' Uri Sirkis, CEO of Israeli carrier Israir, said he worried that under a final framework airlines would not be compensated. 'We've suffered millions in damages. This wasn't a commercial incident or error, and there's no reason for us to bear it alone,' he told the panel, referring to the Israel-Iran conflict. Oz Berlowitz, CEO of Israir rival Arkia Airlines, also accused the state of shirking its responsibility, leaving airlines and citizens without support. 'We are receiving hundreds of claims and will have to pass them on to the state as a third party if we are forced to pay compensation,' he said, adding that passenger claims amounted to millions of dollars.
Reuters
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Stranded in Cyprus and beyond, Israelis desperately seek way home
LARNACA, Cyprus/JERUSALEM, June 17 (Reuters) - When his phone started pinging persistently at 4 a.m. on Friday, the chief rabbi of Cyprus learnt that war had broken out between Israel and Iran. By the time he got to his synagogue three hours later, the street outside was full of Israelis with suitcases. Some had been on flights home that were diverted to Cyprus when Israeli airspace was abruptly closed. Others had been on holiday on the Mediterranean island and had been due to fly home that day, but were now stuck without accommodation. "You feel their pain. They are walking, crying. They have urgent family needs, medical needs," the chief rabbi, Arie Zeev Raskin, told Reuters at his office in Larnaca. Among them were people fearful of not making it home on time for their own weddings, he said. Raskin has been trying to help the travellers, coordinating the search for hotel rooms and offers of hospitality from local Jewish and Cypriot families. Some people have slept in the synagogue. Worldwide, Israel's transport ministry estimates that more than 50,000 stranded Israelis are trying to come home. There are no obvious routes. Israel's airspace remains closed to civil aviation, and the government has urged citizens not to return by land via Jordan or Egypt, for safety reasons. Large numbers have converged on Cyprus, the European Union member state closest to Israel. Flights from the coastal city of Larnaca to Tel Aviv take 50 minutes, and boat crossings to the Israeli port city of Haifa take about 15 hours. Laura Hoffman, a senior sales executive at a tech company, was flying back from a work trip to Dallas when her flight was diverted to New Jersey. She has three children and her husband was called up for military reserve duty. She made her way to Cyprus, but after days of waiting in vain, she could bear it no longer. Ignoring the official advice, she flew to Jordan with a few others. "I'm with mostly mamas and we're experiencing, I think, deep, primal moments of wanting to be united, literally at all costs, with our children," she told Reuters by telephone. For now, the best hope for those stuck in Cyprus may be the sea route. The Crown Iris, a luxury cruise liner operated by the Israeli company Mano Maritime, will make two crossings to Haifa under a plan approved by the Israeli authorities, Mano said. The ship can carry 2,000 passengers. However, such initiatives are nowhere near sufficient to meet demand. When the Israeli airline El Al opened a portal for passengers seeking to fly home, over 60,000 people immediately joined an electronic queue to register. El Al said on Tuesday it had received permission from the government to start rescue flights on Wednesday from Larnaca, Athens, Rome, Milan and Paris. It said the flights were full and passengers with seats had been notified. Israel's Transport Minister Miri Regev had said on Monday the government was working with the military and with airlines on a plan to bring everyone home safely in a phased, coordinated operation, but warned this would take time. "I tell citizens: there is nothing to worry about. You are abroad, enjoy yourself. I know it is not easy," said Regev, in comments that drew blowback from some stranded travellers. Zohar Bronfman, the CEO of tech company Pecan AI and a father of three, was returning from a business trip to San Francisco when his flight home was cancelled. He had travelled to Athens with colleagues equally desperate to go home. "If she thinks we're enjoying our time abroad, then she doesn't really understand what we're going through," he told Reuters by telephone. In Larnaca, the neighbourhood around the synagogue was unusually busy, with children playing, men praying and young people scrolling on their phones. Armed police were patrolling the area. A pregnant woman who gave only her first name, Tamar, said she had slept in the synagogue. "We are connecting to so many groups (on social media), but nobody knows when we are going to go back," she said. "I want to be back. I want to be with my family." ($1 = 0.8644 euros)
