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TEL AVIV — The Israeli government’s sweeping restrictions on outbound air travel in the wake of its June 13 attack on Iran are drawing mounting legal scrutiny, as citizens stranded in the country grow increasingly desperate to leave.
While foreign nationals and some Israelis have exited via land and sea, commercial flights for Israeli citizens remain blocked, sparking challenges from civil rights advocates and legal experts.
Following Israel’s military operation dubbed “Rising Lion,” the government closed national airspace and halted all flights, citing aviation and security risks. Ben Gurion Airport was evacuated, and no commercial airline has since resumed selling tickets to Israeli citizens seeking to leave.
Although limited repatriation flights have brought citizens back to Israel under a newly established framework, outbound travel remains subject to approval by a government-led exceptions committee, established through a cabinet resolution passed Wednesday.
Critics argue that this decision effectively bans citizens from leaving their country — a right explicitly protected under Israel’s Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom.
“The government’s conduct raises concerns that this is a decision made carelessly and without considering a proportionate solution that balances security needs with protecting the fundamental rights of Israeli residents,” the Movement for Quality Government (MQG), a prominent watchdog group, said in a letter to the government and Attorney General on Thursday.
Private attorney and public law expert Dr. Yifat Solel reported receiving dozens of requests for legal assistance from Israeli citizens who urgently need to leave the country.
“Some are stranded despite their lives being abroad. Others need medical treatment, must care for family members, or run businesses outside of Israel,” she said.
Solel is preparing a petition to the High Court of Justice challenging the government’s decision, calling the blanket restrictions “disproportionate and constitutionally dubious.”
Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced Thursday night that departure flights for tourists, diplomats, youth delegations, and individuals with urgent humanitarian or medical needs could begin as early as Monday — but only with the committee’s approval. Critics say the criteria for approval remain opaque.
MQG insists that any such restrictions must be rooted in formal legislation or emergency regulations, not just a cabinet resolution. They also demand that the committee’s criteria be made public and equitably applied.
Legal precedent suggests that the High Court views freedom of movement as a fundamental right. The MQG warns that even a more formally enacted ban might fail judicial review due to its blanket nature and indefinite duration.
The government has yet to clarify when outbound commercial flights will resume or how the exceptions committee will operate.
As the security situation remains volatile, thousands of Israeli citizens remain in limbo, unable to leave their country amid growing concerns over legality and transparency.
“We are not challenging the government’s right to ensure national security,” Solel emphasized. “But even during wartime, constitutional rights cannot be ignored or suspended arbitrarily.”
Unless the government responds swiftly with clarity and legal justification, both MQG and Solel are expected to escalate the issue to Israel’s top court in the coming days.