The Knesset's Regulatory Committee has authorized a temporary provision imposing a steep fine on Israelis attempting to exit the country on their way to a destination to which travel is currently prohibited, due to the high rate of coronavirus contagion there.
The countries currently on the banned list are: Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, India, Mexico, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. The last two countries were added on Sunday.
Any Israeli discovered during an attempt to travel to any of these countries will henceforth face a fine of NIS 5000.
Earlier on Sunday, the government was forced to postpone a vote on imposing new travel restrictions on Israelis, due to the absence of the majority of the coalition from the plenum.
In a statement on the travel issue, the Likud party said: "MKs Ohana, Rothman, and Maklev submit their opposition to enabling the continuation of a travel ban on Israelis seeking to leave the country, given that the Health Ministry has announced that Israel is the only country in the world attempting to impose such restrictions on its citizens - and especially given that it is not reasonable to impose such a ban given that Israel is the most vaccinated country in the world."