Gantz threatens to block extending entry ban after damning report on exemptions

After a television report showed the vast majority of Israelis who are being given approval to enter the country during a general border closure were ultra-Orthodox, Defense Minister Benny Gantz says he will not approve the extension of regulations on international travel until a representative of the Ministry of Justice joins the committee that okays individuals to fly on a small number of available flights.

Ganz demands “to disclose to the public in a transparent manner the criteria by which the committee operates.”

In a press statement, he says that he intends to announce at the cabinet meeting on Monday that if an outline is not accepted which allows all Israelis who wish to enter the country to exercise their right to vote in the March 23 elections, regulations on Ben Gurion Airport ending on March 10 will not be extended.

“It will be Netanyahu’s sole responsibility and will prove that he cares about politics before he cares about human life,” Gantz says.