Entry policies at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv are changing in an effort to prevent foreigners from entering Israel using forged passports.
Eyal Siso, Director General of the Population and Immigration Authority, announced on Monday that under the new policy, anyone who does not hold a biometric passport will be met upon arrival in Israel with a Population and Immigration Authority supervisor, for purposes of personal verification.
Responding to a question by an Israel Hayom journalist, Siso said that the reason for the change lies in information which reached his office regarding future attempts by foreigners to infiltrate Israel using foreign passports.
Practically speaking, the change means that Israelis who do not hold biometric passports will no longer be able to use the automatic machines upon landing in Israel, and will instead need to wait in line for a border control official to manually check their passports - something which has not been the case for several years.