Ahead Of Passover, Ben Gurion Airport Sees Busiest Day Since October 7
Ben Gurion Airport on Thursday (10th) saw its busiest day since October 7, 2023, with more than 80,000 people passing through the travel hub.
The airport facilitated some 500 flights as passengers flew out ahead of the Passover holiday.
The passenger figure represented a 60 percent year-on-year increase from the eve of Passover 2024, when Israel was still in the midst of an active war on several fronts.
Further busy days are expected next week, with many taking vacations on the seven-day holiday.
Almost all foreign airlines halted their service to Israel following the Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023 attack, which started the war.
In the subsequent 17 months. Airlines repeatedly resumed and canceled routes to and from Israel amid rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon and Gaza and missile barrages from Iran and Yemen.
Now, most airlines have returned, with close to 50 companies – including major carriers such as Delta, United and Lufthansa – resuming flights.
Many of those carriers announced their resumption of flights earlier this year, in part based on a hostage-prisoner exchange and truce between Israel and Hamas, which stopped the fighting in Gaza for some two months. The war has been resumed, drawing some concerns among travelers that flights could be canceled, but service has broadly remained in place as of now.
They Kidnapped, Murdered And Were Eliminated: 11 Terrorists Killed By IDF For Roles In October 7 Massacre
Israeli security forces have killed 11 terrorists involved in the October 7 cross-border attack on southern Israel since the resumption of hostilities in Gaza last month, the IDF and Shin Bet said Thursday (10th).
In a joint statement, the military and the internal security agency said two other “key terrorists” had been eliminated in targeted strikes before fighting resumed on March 18. The terrorists, affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, were reportedly involved in killings and kidnappings of Israeli civilians and soldiers.
“These are central terrorists who took part in the murderous massacre and in the abduction and killing of Israeli soldiers and civilians,” the statement said.
Ismail Shaqshaq – Took part in the killing of Israeli civilians, threw grenades at a fortified shelter at the Re’im Junction and launched a shoulder-fired missile inside Israel.
Jalal Karaan – Participated in the murder of Inbar Haiman and attacked the Nova music festival and several military bases. He murdered two civilians and distributed video footage of the killings online.
Mohammed Issa – Infiltrated Kibbutz Mefalsim and participated in the massacre.
Mohammed Shabakhi, Fares Qarshin, Yahya Astal and Mohammed Astal – all entered Israeli territory and took part in the October 7 killings. Mohammed Sakar – Infiltrated Kibbutz Nir Oz and participated in the attacks.
The two terrorists killed prior to March 18 were: Mohammed Asfur – involved in the assault on the southern IDF brigade command center during the October 7 attacks and Khaled Aiden – Responsible for the murder of Israeli civilians who reportedly used personal items belonging to victims Arik and Hodaya Peretz during the assault.
The IDF and Shin Bet vowed to continue pursuing all individuals involved in the October 7 massacre, saying, “We will continue to act against anyone who took part in the murderous October 7th attack.”
Israel Holds ‘Positive’ First Talks With Turkey On Syria, Still In Early Stages
Israel and Turkey have officially begun talks aimed at reducing tensions between the two countries by establishing a mechanism to prevent friction in Syria.
An Israeli delegation, led by national Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary Roman Gofman traveled to the Azeri capital on Wednesday (9th), where they met with senior Turkish officials.
An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that the first round of talks in Baku were held in a positive atmosphere, while stressing that the process is still at its very beginning.
Israel made it unequivocally clear to the Turks that any change in the deployment of foreign forces in Syria, particularly the establishment of Turkish bases in the Palmyra region, crosses a red line and would be considered a serious breach, a diplomatic source told the Post.
Turkey has set its sights on the T-4 airbase in the area, and is interested in turning it into a drone base. Israel has attacked this base multiple times in recent months and stressed that “any action that endangers Israel will not be accepted.”
Israel, it seems, is willing to accept Turkish influence in Syria, but not at the expense of its own freedom of action in Syrian airspace, which, according to foreign reports, is crucial for any operations against Iran.
The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying that during the talks, each side presented its regional interests, and it was agreed to continue the dialogue channel to maintain regional security stability.
In a speech on Wednesday (9th), Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said his country was helping to calm tensions between the two nations. Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Israel, Mukhtar Mammadov, told the Post that “Azerbaijan is very close to Turkey and a friend of Israel. We want to see relations between you develop positively, and we are ready to support that.”
President Trump also said this week that he hopes the tensions between the two countries will be resolved, referring to Erdogan as “his friend.” Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly told cabinet ministers on Wednesday (9th) that he would ask Trump to mediate if needed, given his close ties with Erdogan.
Schools In Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, And Azerbaijan Portray Jews Fairly, Study Shows
Textbooks used in schools in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan offer generally fair and even positive depictions of the Jewish people, according to a series of reports published by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se)
A report published Tuesday (8th) on Kazakhstan’s textbooks is the last of a three-part survey of school curricula in Muslim-majority Central Asian countries, produced in partnership with the Ruderman Family Foundation. Reports on Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan were published in March and February respectively.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have maintained diplomatic relationships with Israel since 1992, with increasing economic ties in recent years. Azerbaijan, which shares a border with Iran, enjoys the strongest relationship with Israel of the group, with an embassy opened in Israel in 2023 and a trade agreement under which it supplies about 40 percent of Israel’s oil needs.
An evaluation of more than 100 textbooks used in Kazakhstan over the past decade to teach students in grades 2-11, found a positive portrayal of Judaism, Jewish religious practices, and Jewish history, with Judaism portrayed as part of the country’s multicultural composition, IMPACT-se said. Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust were fairly discussed, and Israel’s revival of the Hebrew language is “particularly admired,” the report said.
“However, differing textbooks offer varied coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict, from balanced narratives to more one-sided portrayals,” the report noted.
Similar positive observations were noted in Uzbekistan, where Israel’s economic achievements were appreciated. Hamas and Hezbollah were labeled “radical Islamist organizations,” and values like diversity and tolerance were promoted with no signs of Islamism or radicalism, IMPAACT-se said.
In Azerbaijan, anti-Israel narratives were removed from new textbooks, reflecting a shift toward a more balanced overview of the conflict, the report said. Azerbaijan has also become the first Muslim-majority country to incorporate a definition of anti-Semitism into its textbooks, it noted, although textbooks lacked coverage of Azerbaijani and general Jewish history.
“As a strategic neighbor to Iran, Azerbaijan’s societal values hold geopolitical significance, and so its curricular implementation of secular ideas is of significance,” IMPACT-se said.
The reports on Muslim majority Central Asian countries were positive compared to previous investigations by IMPACT-se. A survey of Irish textbooks published in November found that school curricula “trivialize Auschwitz, misrepresent Judaism and are hostile to Israel,” while a report on Polish textbooks published in December found that many still contain anti-Semitic narratives, despite overall improvements over the past decade.
Unsurprisingly, recent reports on schools in Gaza and Syria showed continued promotion of anti-Semitism, violence, and martyrdom within their educational systems.
Trump Nominates Yehuda Kaploun As US Envoy To Combat Anti-Semitism
US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday (10th) that he had nominated Yehuda Kaploun as the US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.
“Yehuda is a successful businessman, and staunch advocate for the Jewish faith and the Rights of his people to live and worship free from persecution,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform in which he announced the nomination.
“With anti-Semitism dangerously on the rise, Yehuda will be the strongest Representative for Americans and Jews across the Globe, and promote PEACE. Congratulations Yehuda,” he added.
Kaploun, a close advisor to Trump, is considered a key figure in enlisting the support of haredi leadership for Trump.
He is also the co-founder and President of Russkap Water, which specializes in developing and manufacturing best-in-class Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs) which create clean drinking water from the humidity in the air.
Kaploun has also served in an advisory capacity to large corporations, law firms, investment firms, real estate companies, and political leaders across the US and in Israel. In addition, he has advised and assisted in many US crises and natural disasters, including the 9/11 rescue efforts, as well as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
The role of US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism was most recently held by Deborah Upstadt, who served in the role from 2022 to January of this year under the Biden administration.
Why Are Israelis So Happy? – Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy (Tablet)
• Despite constantly facing vicious enemies and ending a year and a half of sustained fighting and funerals, Israel ranks in the top 10 countries with the highest levels of happiness, according to the 2025 World Happiness Report. In the final months of 2024, Israel witnessed a 10% increase in births . How come?
• On April 12, 96% of Israeli Jews will participate in the oldest ongoing ritual in the Western world: the Passover Seder, celebrating the Exodus of three millennia ago. Seders are often hours-long, ritualized re-creations of the flight from Egypt, a reflection of how Jews live inside their history. Prayers, songs, food, and other rituals invite Jews to see themselves as having been personally redeemed.
• Most optimists are mission-driven. Feeling a sense of belonging, they progress confidently toward worthy goals. As the best-selling British historian Paul Johnson observed, “No people has ever insisted more firmly than the Jews that history has a purpose and humanity a destiny.” Cherishing family, community, country, and history shapes their faith in the future.
• Israelis feel they are part of Israel’s story and the Jewish story, that of a proud people trying to do better in the world while also bettering it. Israeli schools repeatedly assign students shorashim, “roots” projects. These family-tree explorations, even in high school, usually culminate in evenings celebrating parents’ or grandparents’ differing ethnic origins, cuisines, and Zionist journeys, propelling everyone forward together.
• With so much to live for, Israelis know what they are willing to die for, too. On the eve of battle, many soldiers write goodbye letters to be read in case they die. Having buried more than 1,000 soldiers since Oct. 7, Israelis have cherished these messages by fallen soldiers affirming their motivation to fight and their willingness to sacrifice everything for this country that imbued them, as individuals, with a particular identity – past, present, and future. In the heartbreaking letters, the soldiers, including reservists, who volunteered for combat duty, affirm their mission to defend Israel and the world against Hamas, Hezbollah, and the terrorist scourge.
• In the Gulag, prisoners with robust identities, national and/or religious, were the strongest partners in the daily struggle against Soviet jailers. Those connected to communities awaiting them back home felt accountable and saw their actions as part of a historical chain. Group identity doesn’t compromise our freedom, it enhances our journey, filling our free lives with the sounds of others, inspired by the ideas of our ancestors.
• A healthy commitment to community, connectedness, and history anchors us. It motivates us to defend ourselves when necessary, while inspiring us always to build a better world. That’s the essence of most Israelis’ Zionism, which many just call patriotism. And that’s the essence of the Passover Seder message too.
Natan Sharansky is a former political prisoner in the Soviet Union, former minister in Israeli governments, and former Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Gil Troy, a Distinguished Scholar of North American History at McGill University, is a Senior Fellow in Zionist Thought at the Jewish People Policy Institute.
