The Journey to Israel

“I can’t believe you made it in.”

That is the statement I have heard again and again from people on the ground when I told them I arrived in Israel today. 

It’s not uncommon for the airspace in Israel to be closed after rockets or missiles start flying, so to an extent, people have become familiar with that aspect. 

But nobody here is used to what’s going on right now.

Israeli airspace shut down

The airspace in Israel is shut down, but more importantly, Israel’s flag-carrying airline, El Al, has suspended operations here until July. One step further, they have moved all of their planes outside the country — which emphasizes how significant the present moment is. 

Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv plays a highly critical role in Israeli culture. It is the only direct connection to the outside world, which is why there is always a lot of pressure placed on the government to reopen airspace and get planes flying again. 

Yes, one could cross the border with Jordan or Egypt, but that’s not always practical, realistic, or, for that matter, perfectly safe. For those who don’t follow geopolitics closely, crossing the borders between Israel and Lebanon or Syria is not an option, as those countries don’t have diplomatic ties. 

So, to see the airspace closed here is one thing. To see it closed indefinitely with absolutely no indication it will reopen in the near future is staggering. 

And the “Plan B” of going through Jordan is constrained as well. The border crossings are only staying open for a few hours a day, and Jordan has had to shut its airspace multiple times within the last week, as the exchange of missiles can vividly be seen from Israel’s neighbor to the east. 

Getting into Israel

Here’s how I got into Israel. My flight landed in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday. Almost all of the flights to Amman ended up being canceled that day, so I had to wait until Sunday to fly into Jordan. 

That day, I took the first flight in as soon as the Jordanian airspace reopened, which was 9:30 in the morning. That was still too late for me to make the border crossing in time, which closed at 2:30 pm. 

So today, I hitched a ride to Jordan’s northern crossing with Israel, which opened at 8:30 in the morning. It took me about 2-3 hours to clear customs and passport control, and another 2 hours to drive to Tel Aviv. 

What’s more is that before I had finished clearing customs, sirens started blaring in the Jordan Valley and we had to run and seek shelter. An enemy drone had entered Israeli airspace and was ultimately shot down by a pair of military helicopters. 

It was those 10-15 minutes in the shelter when it truly hit me that things were different this go around. A woman next to me in the shelter had tears rolling down her cheeks, and her hands were clasped in prayer. Another woman was hyperventilating — utterly inconsolable despite her friends’ best efforts. 

The people I was with in that shelter truly did not know if those sirens would be the last they heard. I’ve been in plenty of shelters over the last nearly two years since the October 7 attack, but have never seen or witnessed such hysteria.

‘It’s different this time’

One of my friends I ran into in Tel Aviv just moments ago said the same words I’ve heard again and again in recent days: “it’s different this time.”

Indeed, the craters around Tel Aviv, the buildings blown apart, the residential neighborhoods suffering direct hits — all sights we’re not really used to seeing here. The Iron Dome is hardly perfect, and Iran has demonstrated they have capabilities. 

Even the U.S. Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv sustained minor damage, according to Ambassador Huckabee. Embassy employees are being told to shelter in place, and dependents are being given the option to leave. 

But if getting here was tough, leaving is even more difficult. No flights out of Israel and unreliable airspace in Jordan make it difficult.

Yes, it’s all different this time. And it’s not over yet.\

More to come from the Middle East all week on NewsNation.