Sunday June 22 2025: Israel has barred its citizens from leaving the country.
According to Haaretz, government instructed domestic airlines not to permit Israeli nationals to board outbound flights; Ban on Israelis flying out raises legal red flags, with many needing to leave.
Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced the measure, stating: “We will not approve Israelis’ departures abroad at this stage.” She clarified that only non-Israeli nationals—such as diplomats and tourists—are currently permitted to leave the country. Watchdog group says cabinet resolution establishing exceptions committee to grant some citizens permission to depart may violate constitutional rights.
Broad government restrictions against flying out of the country in the wake of Israel’s attack against Iran on June 13 2025 are facing tough legal questions, as apparently large numbers of Israeli citizens seeking to leave the country for various reasons are currently being prevented from doing so.
Although small numbers of foreign citizens and Israelis have been able to leave through sea and land borders, Israeli citizens have not been able to buy plane tickets out of Israel, apparently due to concerns for aviation security during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
One private attorney who is preparing a petition to the High Court of Justice has received requests for help from dozens of Israelis who need to leave the country for a variety of reasons, including some who simply live abroad with their families but have been stranded in Israel since the beginning of Operation Rising Lion against Iran.
Meanwhile, the Movement for Quality Government has demanded that the government explain a cabinet resolution it passed on June 18 2025, conditioning flying out of the country on approval by a government-led exceptions committee.
The watchdog group said the resolution was especially problematic in light of the explicit constitutional right to leave and enter the country laid down in Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom, as well as previous High Court rulings determining the right to be fundamental in a democratic country.
The Movement for Quality Government expressed concern over the criteria for approval by the committee, and insisted they must be transparent and applied fairly and equally to all those seeking to leave the country.
Dr. Yifat Solel, a private attorney and expert in public law, said that dozens of people who need to leave Israel had turned to her for help, and that on the basis of those requests, she estimates that far larger numbers of people have been stuck in Israel.
Foreign citizens have been able to leave, she noted, while Israelis requesting to buy tickets out of Israel have been told by the commercial airlines that they cannot sell tickets to them.
Solel said that the Israeli citizens seeking help from her had numerous reasons for wanting to depart, including some who were seeking medical treatment abroad, people needing to care for relatives or tend to their businesses abroad, and others whose families and center of life are in a foreign country.
In a letter to the government and the attorney general filed on Thursday, the Movement for Quality Government said the policy amounted to a departure ban based on security concerns, and pointed out the right to leave and enter the country enshrined in the Basic Law.
“The government’s conduct raises concerns that this is a decision that was made carelessly and without considering a proportionate solution that balances security needs with protecting the fundamental rights of Israeli residents,” the organization wrote in a message to the government.
It also asked for clarification as to the government’s authority to impose such a ban, a step that, if not adequately answered, could result in a petition to the High Court against the cabinet resolution.
Solel said that she herself was in the process of drafting a High Court petition on behalf of those who have turned to her for help if the matter is not resolved adequately in short order.
Finally, The Jerusalem Post reports that the EU, United States, and numerous Asian, Middle Eastern, and African nations have initiated large-scale evacuations from Israel using military and chartered flights, land convoys, and cruise ships.
Portugal evacuated 69 people, including 48 of its nationals, on a repatriation flight from Israel and has temporarily closed its embassy in Tehran. Serbia organized special Air Serbia flights, with over 100 citizens departing from Egypt, and others expected to leave Israel and Iran in the coming days. Romanian military transport planes evacuated more than 100 people to Bucharest, and Poland completed evacuations from both countries with flights arriving in Warsaw.
Australia facilitated overland evacuations from Israel and reported that nearly 2,700 of its citizens across Israel and Iran have sought help. China has removed more than 1,600 citizens from Iran and hundreds more from Israel. India launched “Operation Sindhu,” moving Indian students from Iran to Armenia. France, Italy, and Greece are coordinating departures via Jordan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. Japan deployed Self-Defense Forces aircraft to Djibouti to prepare for regional evacuations, while New Zealand closed its Tehran embassy and evacuated staff by land.
The US, meanwhile, is arranging flights and a cruise ship departure for Americans in Israel. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee posted on X that “arrangements are ongoing” for citizens seeking to leave. France and Bulgaria are supporting overland evacuations to bordering countries, while South Korea has evacuated 20 people by land from Iran. Nigeria and Croatia are also in the process of organizing their own departures.
Martin Blackham Israel First TV Program www.israelfirst.org