The Israel Airports Authority issued an extraordinary temporary order Tuesday instructing air traffic control not to approve landings of US refueling aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport. The directive came directly from the Transport Ministry and Minister Miri Regev, according to Itai Blumenthal.
The Transport Ministry escalated its confrontation with the US over refueling aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday afternoon, issuing an extraordinary temporary order barring any additional American refuelers from landing. The directive, conveyed directly from Minister Miri Regev to the Israel Airports Authority, instructs air traffic control to deny landing clearance to US refueling aircraft. The order formalizes the refusal reported earlier.
The dispute unfolded rapidly Tuesday morning. At 10:24 Jerusalem, initial reports said the US had canceled the evacuation of its aircraft; minutes later, the US military clarified it had frozen rather than canceled the evacuation. By 10:24, reports indicated 33 aircraft remained at Ben Gurion — 13 more than the agreed 20 — and that Transport Minister Regev had refused to authorize additional landings, warning that up to 50,000 flight tickets through the end of July were at risk.
The confrontation has been building for weeks. As The Zioneer reported on June 14, Regev called for the removal of US refueling aircraft, stating that 'our airports have become US military bases.' She reiterated that position on June 15, instructing the Airports Authority not to cancel summer flights, citing a pending solution. Additional US tankers landed from the Gulf on Tuesday, and a hydraulic emergency was declared on June 27.
It remains unclear how the formal order will be enforced or whether the US will respond diplomatically. No official US statement has been issued.
7 developments
- StrongRegev bars further US refueling planes at Ben Gurion, orders diversion to air bases
- DevelopingUS keeps 33 refueling tankers at Ben Gurion; aviation officials warn of 50,000 summer ticket cancellations
- DevelopingAerial refueling aircraft performs emergency landing at Ben Gurion Airport
- DevelopingAdditional US refueling tankers land at Ben Gurion Airport from the Gulf
Source and signal
- Internal intake