Israeli Airline Suspends Flights To South Africa See Why

iexclusivenews – El Al, the prestigious Israeli national airline, has decided to halt its direct flights from Tel Aviv to Johannesburg after 74 years of service.

The last flight on this historic route will take place on March 15, and the operations will cease by the end of March.

An El Al representative explained that the reason for this decision is the lack of demand from Israeli travelers.

“They are canceling flights and planes are pretty empty… We understand it’s the situation because it was different before. The fact that the Israelis don’t want to go to South Africa but do want to go to other places helps us decide that we’re pausing that route”, he said.

The Fallout of a Legal Battle Over Gaza

This announcement, which was made on Friday, came as a backlash to South Africa’s attempt to hold Israel responsible for alleged genocidal acts in Gaza.

The announcement coincided with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in favor of South Africa in a case against Israel.

South Africa had claimed that Israel had committed genocidal acts in Gaza, resulting in the horrific deaths of over 26,000 people, mostly women and children.

This case led the ICJ to rule that Israel must take reasonable measures to prevent genocide in its actions in Gaza.

The ruling was a surprise for Israel, which had expected the case to be dismissed.

In a strong response, its foreign ministry accused South Africa of being the “legal arm” of Hamas.

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The Impact on Israel-South Africa Relations

The ICJ’s recognition of the legal basis for the genocide charge adds tension to the already strained relations between Israel and South Africa.

The recent termination of a flight route that had been operational for 74 years is a clear sign of that.