A first: Palestinians fly abroad from Israel’s Ramon Airport

According to the pilot program, Palestinian groups can shuttle by bus to the Negev hub instead of crossing into Jordan to fly from Amman.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

A group of Palestinians flew out of the Negev’s Ilan and Asaf Ramon Airport Monday morning according to a new arrangement that should cut hours from their trips abroad.

The 24 travelers from the Palestinian Authority (PA) joined Israeli passengers on an Arkia flight to Larnaca, Cyprus, amid a large security attendance. The police and even Shabak operatives were on hand out of concern that either Israelis scheduled to fly on the plane or demonstrators from nearby Eilat would protest the Palestinians’ presence.

Eilat Mayor Eli Lancry had publicly denounced the pilot project, fearful of the security implications for his town that is only 21 kilometers from the airport and angry, he said, that the government had not involved the municipality in its planning.

In the event, everything went smoothly and quietly, and Lancry admitted as much, saying that it was a “foremost goal” of his that the airport steadily evolve as an international destination so that Eilat can benefit from the vast tourism potential.

Security officials were also pleased.

“This is an important operation for all of us, a lot of work has been invested here,” said one. “First and foremost to allow Palestinians to fly, and also to encourage the operation of an international airport, which will work both for Israelis and for the residents of the PA.”

For now, only group options exist for PA residents to fly out of the southern airport after arriving on special shuttles. Larnaca via Arkia won over two cities in Turkey, Antalya and Istanbul, which were supposed to have been the first destinations available solely through Turkish airlines such as Pegasus. Technical issues have so far delayed that plan, which would be exclusively for Palestinian passengers on a bi-weekly basis.

Until Monday, for security reasons, only a relative handful of Palestinian VIPs, such as senior PA officials, have been allowed to fly abroad via Israel’s primary hub, Ben Gurion Airport. Everyone else had to first get to Jordan’s Amman Airport through the congested Allenby Bridge crossing point, thereby adding several hours to their travel time.

It was only last month that Israel expanded the hours at the checkpoint to 24/7, in a gesture made to the Palestinians that coincided with U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to the country.

Ramon Airport is not an ideal solution, either, Palestinians have argued ever since the idea was broached. For one, it is a drive of some four hours from Ramallah, and longer than that for the more northern PA cities.

The PA is formally against the plan for other reasons.

“We have already stated and appealed to the residents not to use the airport because this is an Israeli interest and it’s harmful to Palestinian sovereignty,” PA Transportation Ministry spokesman Musa Rahhal told news site Al-Watan Voice.

The PA has long demanded that Israel allow it to build its own airport in Judea and Samaria. Alternatively, it would prefer that its residents fly out of the Atarot Airport north of Jerusalem, which would be much more convenient for travelers.

Atarot was closed to civilian traffic in 2000, during the Second Intifada.

ArkiaIlan and Asaf Ramon AirportPalestinian AuthorityTravel