Tourists walk at the Ben Gurion International Airport after entering Israel by plane, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions ease, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, May 27, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

i24 News – Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai on Sunday called on Israel to lift travel restrictions reimposed to contain the spread of the omicron variant of Covid-19.

“In the cabinet meeting today I raised the urgent need to open the skies for world Jewry,” Shai posted to Twitter.

“The prime minister and health minister both committed to me that there will be a substantial easing of policies for entrance into Israel this week. I will continue to be your voice and advocate in the government,” Shai continued.

Shai has previously expressed concern that Israel’s travel restrictions in the nearly two years since the pandemic began are fracturing ties with Jews in the diaspora.

Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, is also calling for Israel to open the skies, writing a letter to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday “to find a solution that appropriately protects the health and well-being of Israeli citizens but allows Diaspora Jewry to visit Israel under whatever necessary safeguards or conditions are required.”

Leibler also voices concerns in the letter about the potential damage being caused in the relationship between the Jewish state and the diaspora.