Aliyah minister stranded in Baku after attacks on Iran, returns to Israel via boat
The Aliyah Minister was in Azerbaijan during the strike for a conference with the Jewish Agency, and was later directed to fly to Cyprus to return to Israel.
The surprise Israeli strike against Iran early Friday morning caught Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer (Religious Zionist Party) in Baku, Azerbaijan, which borders Iran.
Sofer flew along with a delegation from the Jewish Agency to a weekend seminar for Jewish youth making aliyah. At a certain point on Saturday, he was directed to leave and flew to Greece, from there to Cyprus, and from there via boat to Israel.
Sofer wasn’t aware in advance of the exact timing of the attack, although he suspected it may occur when he was away. He assumed that, if necessary, he would be prevented from flying, while taking into account that a sudden cancellation of his trip could serve as an unwanted warning sign to the Iranians.
The aliyah minister arrived back in Israel on Sunday night. Acting at the directives of Shin Bet’s (Israel Security Agency) Magen unit, Sofer said he refrained from meeting Israelis along the way so as not to disclose his location.
How did Sofer make it back to Israel?
Asked how he was able to return while other Israelis remained stuck, Sofer said that the boat back to Israel was organized by the Jewish Agency and that he acted on the directives of his security detail.The Transportation Ministry was working on finding solutions for the civilians abroad, and he was not involved, he added.
According to Sofer, some 300 people were supposed to make aliyah this week from all over the world, and he mentioned that July and August are the months in which the number of olim is highest.
Sofer said he was using all the tools at his disposal, including from within the ministry and via the Jewish Agency and Nefesh B’Nefesh, in order to ensure that the olim who plan on coming still do, although it remains unclear when the situation will allow it.
The ministry was focused currently on “mapping out the situation” in order to understand the needs of people waiting to make aliyah. It was also in contact with recent arrivals, some of whom were evacuated from temporary housing units that lacked sufficient missile protection to hotels in order to ensure their safety.
“We are adapting to the changing situation, and it is very important that aliyah will not be harmed – on the contrary,” Sofer said.
He added that he would have more information “in the coming days” on the ministry’s policies to assist people waiting or planning to make aliyah in the near future.
