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El Al must offer immediate, accessible flights for all those trying to return home to serve. The government must step in and facilitate these efforts; there can be no more excuses.
By JOEL LEYDEN NOVEMBER 20, 2024 00:16
BAHRAINI PALACE Guard stands near an El Al airplane that carried an Israeli delegation and the US treasury secretary to Muharraq, Bahrain, in 2020. The writer suggests that the airline has turned its back on the very soldiers who fight for our survival.
(photo credit: RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS)
Israel is at war. Our country is under attack from every direction: Hezbollah from the north, Iran from the east, and Hamas and Yemen from the south.
The toll on our soldiers has been devastating. Over 800 Israeli soldiers have already been killed, 5,346 have been wounded, and nearly 12,000 others have been examined for medical issues related to battle. The IDF is facing a critical shortage of manpower as the casualties mount.
With so many soldiers lost or unable to return to service, Israel needs at least 7,000 recruits to fill the void; perhaps more, as many of the wounded with PTSD may never return due to the mental and emotional scars of war.
Yet, as the nation bleeds and the army struggles to replace its fallen heroes, one of Israel’s most iconic companies, El Al, has turned its back on the very soldiers who fight for our survival.
El Al’s profiteering during wartime
Many Israeli reservists are stranded abroad, desperately trying to return home to join the fight. But instead of offering help, El Al, Israel’s national carrier, has chosen to exploit their plight.
Airfare from New York to Tel Aviv, which once cost around $600, is now priced at $1,500, and these “economy” seats are nearly impossible to find. The only available tickets are in business class, priced at $5,000. This isn’t just price-gouging – it’s a betrayal of the soldiers who are being asked to sacrifice everything for the security of this country.
In the past, El Al made a brief attempt at goodwill by offering discounted tickets to soldiers. But this PR stunt seems little more than a hollow marketing campaign. For an airline enjoying record profits – $147 million in net profit in the second quarter of 2024, up from $59 million last year – its lack of meaningful action in a time of national crisis is shameful.
Israel’s national airline, which is supposed to stand as a symbol of unity and support, has instead prioritized profits over patriotism.
This is not just an issue of overpriced tickets. It’s a matter of national security.
The IDF is calling on every reservist to return home, and El Al, as the only airline still flying, has the responsibility to ensure that these brave men and women can get back to the front lines without delay, and without facing financial ruin.
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The government’s failure to intervene
But El Al is not the only entity to blame. The Israeli government, through its Foreign Ministry and the Israeli House abroad, has failed to intervene. The Israeli House, established to provide guidance and support to Israelis living abroad, should be actively coordinating efforts to assist those stranded and desperate to return to Israel. Instead, when Israelis abroad call the Israel Consulate in New York, their calls go unanswered.
The Foreign Ministry claims it is powerless to change El Al’s pricing policies. But this is where the failure of leadership becomes clear.
Why is there no coordination between El Al, the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the IDF, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Transportation Ministry to resolve this time-sensitive crisis? Why are we hearing from the Foreign Ministry, “The Israeli House is not responsible for El Al’s policy,” when soldiers are begging for a way home?
This is not the time for bureaucracy. This is the time for action. Israelis abroad, whether they are soldiers or civilians, should not have to choose between financial ruin and the security of their country. The government must step in, take responsibility, and demand that El Al step up to its role in supporting the national defense effort. We cannot wait for other Israeli airlines to break up this toxic monopoly.
Urgent call for immediate action
We, as Israelis, are a nation that has always risen to the occasion in times of crisis. We are born to make things happen, not sit by passively.
Our soldiers, reservists, and citizens are all part of the same collective effort to protect the homeland. The government must act swiftly and decisively to ensure that no reservist is stranded due to unaffordable airfare or bureaucratic red tape.
El Al must offer immediate, accessible flights for all those trying to return home to serve. The government must step in and facilitate these efforts; there can be no more excuses. This is a time for unity, not division.
To El Al: This is not just a business decision. This is a moral one. Your duty, especially in wartime, is to support the country, not just turn a profit. Your actions now will be remembered for a long time, and they will define your place in the history of Israel.
To the Foreign Ministry: This is not a time to hide behind policies and red tape. This is a time to act, coordinate, and do whatever it takes to support our soldiers. The security of the nation depends on it.
Israel’s survival is at stake. We cannot afford to let profit and bureaucracy stand in the way of the most basic responsibility: ensuring that those who are willing to fight for our country can return home to do so.
El Al sent out rescue flights to Israelis in Amsterdam following the recent violent, antisemitic attacks against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. But how does that support the soldiers in foxholes, under fire in Lebanon or Gaza, as they seek backup? How does El Al’s priority to hi-tech executives help defend our borders, our children?
Time is running out, action must be taken – today.
The writer is president of Leyden Communications Israel, a crisis communications, public affairs, and digital PR organization with offices in New York and Ra’anana. He has served as an officer in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit and as a senior media/cross-cultural communications, social media consultant to the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, and the Israel Export Institute.
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