Thousands of Chareidim who avoid the army who had hoped to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah may now be unable to leave Israel after the Population and Immigration Authority implemented a new departure procedure that blocks anyone under an exit ban from completing the airline check-in process.

According to a report by Mordechai Halperin of Army Radio, the Population and Immigration Authority, which operates under the Interior Ministry headed by Shas, recently revised its departure procedures in coordination with the Attorney General’s office. The change is intended to prevent individuals subject to court-ordered travel bans from bypassing airport controls and leaving the country.

Until now, travelers were checked for exit restriction orders only when they reached passport control at the airport. According to the report, some Chareidi draft evaders were able to circumvent the automated checkpoint by closely following another traveler who was not subject to a travel ban, allowing them to pass through the gate after it opened for the other passenger.

Under the new system, anyone who is prohibited from leaving Israel will be prevented from checking in for a flight altogether. Airlines are now notified at the check-in stage that the traveler is subject to an exit restriction, effectively preventing that individual from proceeding through the airport and boarding a flight.

The report says organizations representing Chareidi draft evaders are outraged by the change. With preparations underway for the annual pilgrimage to Uman ahead of Rosh Hashanah, they believe thousands of draft evaders who had hoped to use the previous method to leave Israel will now be unable to make the trip.

Responding to the report, the Population and Immigration Authority said: “In recent months, the departure process from Israel has indeed been streamlined, and it was decided that anyone who has an exit restriction order against them will be informed of it at the beginning of the departure process from Israel rather than at the end, so that they can resolve the matter before beginning the process.”

{Matzav.com}