Dozens of young men classified as draft-evaders succeeded in slipping through the control systems, flying to Uman, and returning to Israel without interference, raising serious questions about the level of security at Israel’s international airport.
Kan News revealed that according to the police investigations, the cases came to light when no fewer than 64 draft-evaders were caught at Ben Gurion Airport border control upon returning to Israel.
An initial probe revealed a troubling and seemingly absurd situation: their names did not appear in the system as having left the country at all, leading investigators to conclude that they had managed to depart Israel without passing through official passport control.
Following the findings, all of the deserters who were caught were transferred to the Ben Gurion Airport police district for further handling. Many have already been questioned under caution on direct suspicion of violating the Entry into Israel Law, while the remaining suspects are expected to undergo similar questioning in the coming days.
Their questioning, together with a detailed review of security camera footage from the terminal, revealed the method they allegedly used: a simple technique known as "tailgating."
According to the suspicions, the individuals took advantage of congestion and busy moments at the airport by following closely behind another passenger as that person passed through the control gate, allowing them to enter the airside area without being detected by either the electronic system or inspectors.
Their success demonstrated how citizens subject to a legal travel ban, whether because of criminal proceedings, debt enforcement proceedings, or any other reason, could potentially exploit the same vulnerability and bypass the supervision mechanisms with relative ease.
Following the exposure of the security failure, the Population and Immigration Authority was forced to take a series of urgent steps at Ben Gurion Airport, including significantly increasing the number of inspectors on the ground in an effort to close the loopholes and prevent similar incidents from recurring.