MK Roth and Israeli diplomats intervene to rescue stranded families at Jordanian border after flight delays.
A group of Israelis who travelled from Cyprus to Israel via Jordan ran into trouble on Friday when their flight was delayed and they arrived at the border crossing after it closed.
The incident began at around 8:00 p.m. when MK Moshe Roth (United Torah Judaism) received a phone call from an Israeli who was part of the group of travellers who were stuck at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus.
The passengers, including families with children, were supposed to fly to the border crossing in Aqaba, Jordan, but repetitive delays caused them to only leave Cyprus at 11:00 p.m.
In the meantime, the Jordanian border closed at 8:00 p.m., as usual, and the passengers were left stuck in an unsecured area in the middle of the night.
The crossing was only supposed to open in the late morning, leaving the group stranded in a dangerous and uncomfortable situation for hours. MK Roth immediately understood the severity of the situation and began to enlist officials to find a quick solution.
Roth enlisted the assistance of fellow party member, Deputy Minister Uri Maklev, the Foreign Ministry’s Situation Room, and other senior officials in the security establishment.
The diplomatic team used connections with the Jordanian side to convince them to open the crossing, especially for the Israeli group.
The efforts came to fruition when they managed to wake the Jordanian officer in charge of the crossing up from his sleep and convince him to open the crossing. A local senior officer received the Israeli passports, and local police organized a security escort from the airport to the border crossing.
The entire process was conducted under tight supervision due to security threats in the area. At 3:00 a.m., after tense hours of intense diplomatic activity, the group managed to cross into Israel safely.
Sources involved in the operation emphasized the personal commitment shown by MK Roth, who maintained continuous contact with the stranded families throughout the night and coordinated between various agencies to bring about a solution.
“In the end, the ones who took action, made the effort, and cared were the Knesset members from United Torah Judaism,” said one of the rescued group members. “It didn’t matter to them who was stranded — religious, secular, young people, or families. They gave us genuine help without asking questions; their only concern was to help Jews in distress.”
