Netanyahu says no way to prevent closure of Sde Dov airport

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is no way to prevent or delay the Sde Dov Airport from closing down, and the small airfield north of Tel Aviv will close at the midnight deadline as planned.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office says that after “extensive discussions with the transportation minister, legal advisers and professionals,” Netanyahu determined that “there is no way to stop the evacuation of Sde Dov and that any attempt to do so will cost the state billions of shekels.”

In a bid to assuage concerns by Eilat city officials who say the closing Sde Dov will negatively impact their tourism industry, Netanyahu says he is advancing an economic development plan for the southern resort city to the tune of NIS 400 million ($112.5 million).