I had heard many stories about the added security screening people face when going to Israel. El Al’s pre-flight security checks are legendary, and I had read horror stories about getting though (or not getting through) Israeli Immigration. There is good reason for these precautions, and I certainly understand the Israeli’s caution.
I wasn’t particularly concerned. My point of departure was a small regional airport in California, where getting through security took all of three minutes. I wasn’t flying El Al, I am a near-sighted, middle-aged, reasonably pleasant woman with a US passport, and I am registered with the US Global Entry and Trusted Traveler programs.
I connected in Newark to my flight to Tel Aviv. Even though I had already gone through security at my departure airport, I had to go through security again in order to get in line to go through an additional passport verification before I could go to the gate for my flight to Tel Aviv.
The flight was uneventful, though when we entered Israeli air space, the Israeli Defense Force required that all passengers be seated with their seatbelts fastened. I don’t know if this is something new or standard procedure, but
morning walk
Ultra-Orthodox menI had never run into this requirement before.
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