Israel approves land for permanent US Embassy site in Jerusalem
(JNS) — The Israeli government on Mar 24 approved a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Construction and Housing Minister Haim Katz to allocate land at the Allenby Complex in Jerusalem for the construction of a permanent U.S. Embassy.
The ministers said the decision “completes a major diplomatic move” that began when former U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocated the embassy there during his first term.
A permanent embassy building serves as a “tangible, central, and long-term expression” of America’s commitment to Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the strength of the special relationship between the two countries, Netanyahu, Sa’ar and Katz said in a joint statement.
“At a time when Israel and the U.S. stand shoulder to shoulder in the campaign against the Iranian terrorist regime, this decision carries special significance. It serves as further evidence of the strength of the bond, the steadfast alliance, and the shared values and strategic partnership between our two countries,” they said.
The officials also expressed gratitude to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee for his cooperation, as well as to Foreign Ministry personnel involved in advancing the decision.
U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem urges Americans in Israel to consider overland routes to Jordan
(JNS) — The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem urged Americans in Israel to shelter in place if necessary and consider overland routes to Jordan, as El Al canceled many outbound flights through April 4.
“The U.S. Embassy Jerusalem is offering bus service to Amman, Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport via the Jordan River Sheikh Hussein crossing for U.S. Citizens,” the embassy stated on March 25. It asks Americans who previously completed a form requesting bus service to Taba to complete the form again.
“Travelers using this route are responsible for booking and paying their onward travel from Amman airport, and are encouraged to do so before boarding the bus,” the embassy said.
The Israeli government has capped departures out of Ben-Gurion International Airport at one flight per hour, with no more than 50 passengers. El Al said it is operating limited flights to major destinations, including New York, Los Angeles, Miami and several European cities, while inbound flights continue without passenger caps.
Delta pushes back flights to Israel until September
(JNS) — Delta Air Lines announced on Mar 23 that it is further extending the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until September, due to the ongoing war with Iran, effectively canceling summer travel to Israel.
The Atlanta-based carrier said that both its daily flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Tel Aviv and its thrice-weekly service from Atlanta will be paused through Sept. 5. A scheduled restart of service from Boston has been delayed until further notice.
Delta’s chief rival, United Airlines, which has long offered the most flights to Israel of any U.S. carrier, has suspended flights to Tel Aviv from its Newark hub until June 15, with flights to Tel Aviv from Washington, D.C., and Chicago halted until the fall.
The summer months are typically peak season for travel to Israel, with the New York line especially lucrative.
Since the outbreak of the war against Iran on Feb. 28, no international airlines have been flying to Tel Aviv. Only Israeli carriers have been offering limited and restricted service, primarily repatriation flights.
Israel’s flag carrier, EL AL, is providing limited flights from Tel Aviv with 50 passengers per plane.
Israel’s wartime restrictions on the country’s airspace are tentatively in place through April 16, though the date could change based on security conditions on the ground.
Sa’ar: UN must act after 3,500 Hezbollah attacks on Israel
(JNS) — Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar urged the U.N. Security Council on Mar 25 to condemn Hezbollah following what he said were more than 3,500 rockets, missiles and drones fired at Israel since March 2.
Sa’ar said the ongoing attacks, which killed 27-year-old Nuriel Dubin in a missile strike on Mar 24, underscore the need to take action against Hezbollah.
“I call on the U.N. Security Council to unequivocally condemn Hezbollah and designate the Iranian terror proxy as a terrorist organization,” he wrote.
Sa’ar also shared a letter he sent to the Security Council and Mike Waltz, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, calling for action against the Iran-backed terror group.
Hezbollah began firing rockets and suicide drones at Israel from Lebanon on March 2, in retaliation for the Jewish state’s targeted elimination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of “Operation Roaring Lion/Epic Fury” against the regime on Feb. 28.
In response to the terrorist organization’s violation of the U.S.-brokered truce agreement in November 2024, Jerusalem launched an aerial campaign against Hezbollah and ordered IDF troops to advance and take control of additional areas in Southern Lebanon to halt cross-border attacks.
Israel moves to ban Mamdani’s wife
(JTA) — Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism has recommended blacklisting Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, from entering the country over her pro-Palestinian activity on social media.
Ministry Director General Avi Cohen-Scali said in a request to the Interior Ministry on Mar 19 that Duwaji’s use of the words “genocide,” “occupation” and “ethnic cleansing” about Israel merited a ban, reported Haaretz.
The statement also said that Duwaji’s posts over the years reflected a pattern of anti-Israel messaging. The ministry cited an illustration expressing solidarity with Palestinians with the text “ethnic cleansing, plain and simple,” an animation of a Palestinian woman buried under rubble, and posts questioning reports of Israeli women being raped by Hamas as a “mass hoax.”
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli added, “The unrestrained remarks of New York’s mayor’s wife, denying the October 7 massacre and rapes, are unacceptable.”
Duwaji, an artist and pro-Palestinian advocate, has not expressed interest in visiting Israel.
Duwaji has been repeatedly scrutinized in recent weeks over her engagement with social media posts that celebrated Oct. 7 and Palestinian militants, along with having providing illustrations for Susan Abulhawa, a Palestinian-American author who called Israelis and Jews “vampires,” “parasites” and “cockroaches” online. Mamdani has said his wife is “a private person” with no role in his administration.
