Israel National Airline to Suspend Direct Flights to South Africa from Late March

Israel's national airline El Al will suspend its direct flights to South Africa starting at the end of March.

According to AFP on the 26th (local time), El Al stated in a press release that "due to a significant decrease in demand from Israeli travelers, the direct Johannesburg-Tel Aviv route will be suspended from the end of March."

According to El Al's website, the last direct flight to South Africa will be on March 27.

Although the official reason given is the decline in travelers, it appears to be a retaliatory measure related to South Africa's genocide lawsuit against Israel.

South Africa filed a genocide lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the 29th of last month, following the large-scale deaths of Palestinian civilians caused by Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip. The ICJ is expected to issue a ruling on the provisional measures requested by South Africa, which include ordering a halt to the war in Gaza, on this day.