Missing tests, not seeing the children: the stories behind the “stuck abroad”

Lior Sadeh (59), who lives in Hong Kong, was refused entry into Israel five times. Shahar, 26, who is studying at Tel Aviv University, went to visit her partner in Germany and was scheduled to return in January – but was denied twice and therefore missed exams.

Michal Freeman Shore (46), a returning resident who is with her husband in the UK, wants to come here with him and reunite with their son who is studying at a boarding school in Hod Hasharon. Although she has already fallen ill in the country in Corona and recovered, she claims that she does not receive any response to her inquiries from the Exceptions Committee.

– Michal, when did you apply to the Exceptions Committee and what was the reason?
“I wrote to the committee in mid-February because we were supposed to fly from the UK to Israel. I am a returning resident, my husband is a new immigrant. We want to reunite with our 15-year-old son, who immigrated to Israel in 2019 with a ‘superior’ program. He is in boarding school, he is waiting for us.” .

– How long have you not seen him?
“Luckily I have an Israeli passport and I was in Israel in the summer. I also enlisted in the army and even fell ill in Corona and recovered while in Israel. The feeling is terrible, apart from the financial matter, there are many things affected by this crazy and arbitrary decision. “There is a complete disproportion here, it is impossible to understand why a person like me who holds an Israeli passport, and I have an Israeli son, can not come here.” In an interrogation that preceded the interview, she said that her husband had not seen their son for nine months.

– What do you say to the Exceptions Committee?
“Do not say anything, that’s exactly the point. We only received automatic confirmation that the request was received, both me and my husband, and that’s it. Nothing. We were supposed to fly on February 18 and because of the closure of the sky we had to postpone the flight, yesterday “El Al Airlines asked me if we could fly on March 3 and of course I could not fly because I do not have a permit to enter my country. The Exceptions Committee simply ignores it.”

Shahar traveled to visit her partner in Germany, and was scheduled to return to Israel on January 26. “I only went to visit here and since the semester was online it was relatively easy for me to stay here,” she said, “I had to return for the tests but my flight was canceled because the sky closed, and I missed them. I turned to the Exceptions Committee and said there was anyone who left the country before January 25. And living here, can go back in. So I thought it was just a bureaucratic matter.

“At first I was told ‘the center of your life is not in the country’ – and that surprised me a lot. How can I study at a university in the country and the center of my life is not in the country?”, Shahar continued, “I filed an appeal and rejected it without providing an explanation. In response, I submitted another request, which was also rejected without any explanation. “

– Your feeling is that the committee and its approvals are random, random?
“It’s not clear. I meet the criteria – I sent them a certificate from the National Insurance Institute, a certificate of studies. My mother lived in Israel and I did not see her for several months, and the second semester begins soon.”

– How do you feel when you see the investigations on the subject and the planes coming in full from the US?
“It’s very frustrating. I have nothing against people who manage to get there, we just have to be allowed to get there too – every Israeli citizen and especially those who live in the country. Why are we not allowed to come? You want, just let us come. ”

Lior now lives in Hong Kong, and wants to come to Israel to vote in the elections. The Exceptions Committee has already rejected its request five times. “I have no idea why I was refused,” she recounted, “the first two times I sent the requests at 08:00 in the morning to me, which is 02:00 at night in the country, and four minutes later I received the refusal.

“Today I submitted a sixth or seventh application – and there is no response,” she continued, “there is not even any indication that the application was received. Maybe it’s a matter of bots or some other automatic response. Except in the last election, I never missed a vote. I live here in Hong Kong And every time she comes back to get to the polls. ”

Lior also said that she only saw her granddaughter, who is now one year and two months old, near her birth. “My father is also old and living alone, and I want to see him, and in general – I do not have to explain, I am not an exception and I have the right to come to Israel. Why do I even have to go through an exceptions committee? Why are we exceptions?”

Lior referred to the electronic restraint pilot: “I experienced it myself, it’s a bracelet that looks like an Apple watch. You get it, put it on your hand, scan the house and have fun home insulation. This bracelet does nothing, I do not understand why you oppose it. “Everyone who comes to Hong Kong gets a bracelet like this. The sky here is open, although not for tourists, but they are open.”

Regarding the claim that the source of the quick refusal is in the “bot”, We wrote with Blumenthal Explains that the positions of the Exceptions Committee at Ben Gurion Airport are staffed for 24 hours throughout the week, with 20-15 employees working night shifts.

Those who do not meet the criteria switch to the “red” route and their application is rejected fairly quickly. This is in contrast to those who do meet the same criteria clearly and move to a green route. ”