A US Airways flight from Tel Aviv to Philadelphia made an emergency landing in Rome on Saturday, after eleven crew members and two passengers got sick, according to Italian media sources.

The crew and passengers began to throw up and their eyes turned red.

It is not yet clear what happened to the passengers, but a problem with the ventilation system is one suspected cause.

Finance Minister and Yesh Atid party chairman Yair Lapid has come out against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s request for buying a plane for him and the president and for new offices and official residence.

“At the moral level, we are of the view that in these days of belt tightening and tax raises, when the gaps between rich and poor are among the widest in the world, the government of Israel ought to act with modesty, and not take steps that will cause the public to perceive its behavior as divorced from the difficulties of day-to-day life,” Lapid stated on Sunday.

Cost estimates from the Knesset Finance Committee and the Office of the Prime Minister have come up with contradictory conclusions on the economic feasibility of the proposal.

The Olmert administration five years ago approved a plan for new offices and residence for the Prime Minister, but the plan was put aside after Netanyahu took office.

The U.S. Airline Pilots Association is warning that terrorists are practicing dry runs under the eyes of federal marshals to carry out a mega-terror attack, and a one marshal told a Florida media outlet that the Transportation Security Administration is “lying” when it says it takes all reports of suspicious activity aboard aircraft seriously.

Two recent incidents have spiked fears that terrorists boarded flights to test their ability to stage another 9/11, and in one case, a pilot’s insistence not to fly before a thorough inspection of the plane resulted in discovering “evidence of tampering.”

The pilots’ memo from last month has been circulated and states that on a flight on the Orlando, Florida-Washington route, one “Middle Eastern” man leaped up from his seat towards the flight deck door and then made a sharp turn to head for the bathroom, where he remained “for a considerable length of time.”

At the same time, three other men with similar Middle Eastern features began changing seats, opening overhead compartments and generally “making a scene,” possibly with the intention of distracting flight attendants.

Tampa, Florida’s WTSP channel said the airline, US Airways, and the Transportation Security Administration confirmed the incident. The station reported that the FSA “takes all reports of suspicious activity aboard aircraft seriously, and the matter requires no further investigation at this time. “

However, a flight marshal, who obviously could not reveal his name, told WTSP that TSA claims that they investigate every case and take all of them seriously are lies. “They’re liars. They’re flat out liars,” he said. He explained that federal officials are hiding the truth there are problems with investigations of terror.

Industry “insiders” were reported as saying, “We’re waiting for the next 9/11 to happen, because it’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when.”

Investigators concluded that the incident on the Washington-Orlando flight was not a dry run and that there was no evidence of a threat.

However, after the plane landed in Orlando, the pilot refused to fly the plane again without a thorough inspection, despite US Airways officials insisting that it was not necessary. The pilot won the argument, and according to the pilots’ memo, “Guess what? Evidence of tampering was found.”

The second incident that worries the pilots occurred when several Middle Eastern women boarded a flight  while dressed head-to-foot in Muslim clothing including the veil. One passenger, who reportedly was a “significant VIP,” decided to forego flying on the plane when he discovered there were no air marshals on board.

The pilots said they accepted TSA  findings that the women were not terrorists carrying out a dry run.

Have a nice flight.

WASHINGTON (JTA) — U.S. authorities released travel guidelines for Sukkot.

“TSA’s screening procedures do not prohibit the carrying of the four plants used during Sukkot – a palm branch, myrtle twigs, willow twigs, and a citron – in airports, through or security checkpoints, or on airplanes,” the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement, noting the dates of this year’s Sukkot holiday, from Sept. 18-25.

The TSA notice said, however, that all passengers undergo security screening at checkpoints.

In a separate statement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection also noted that the four species were allowed entry, but noted a number of restrictions subject to inspection.

“Travelers will be asked to open the container with the ethrog and unwrap it,” its advisory stated. “The agriculture specialist will inspect the ethrog. If either insect stings or pests are found, the ethrog will be prohibited from entering the United States. If neither is found, the traveler will be allowed to rewrap and re-box the ethrog for entry into the United States.”

Twigs of willow from Europe are banned, it continued, and any sign of pests or disease will mean confiscation of the product.
In a press statement noting the allowances, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, who directs American Friends of Lubavitch, also urged observant Jews to cooperate with airline staff and authorities, for instance when praying aboard aircraft.

“Particularly, one should let flight attendants know if they will be davening in flight BEFORE they begin, and understand the implications, as well as potential prosecution, for ignoring requests to sit down when requested, etc.,” said Shemtov, who consulted with Rabbi Abba Cohen, the director of the Washington office for Agudath Israel of America, in setting out the guidelines. “For example, flight attendants do not usually understand ‘nu,’ ‘uh,’ and hand signals, etc. especially when you are already in tallis and tefillin.”

Shemtov told JTA that religious Jews should appreciate the efforts of travel authorities to facilitate their travel.

“We in the Jewish community are fortunate to live with an unprecedented level of personal liberty,” he said. “I hope everyone will appreciate that cooperation with authorities that are so sympathetic to our traditions is the least we can do in return.”

The IDF has ordered the immediate closure of the Eilat Airport to incoming flights but is allowing planes to leave.

The military did not explain the order except to say that the decision was made “following an evaluation of the situation.”

12:09 PM A Greek plane, earlier reported as a Jordanian and later as  an Egyptian private Misair airline plane,was  bound for Jordan and landed safely in Israel.

The pilot called out “Mayday” after the hydraulic system failed.

Picture: Israel Bardugo

12:00PM A high level emergency has been declared at Ben-Gurion airport. MDA is currently at its highest emergency level. Emergency medical volunteers are being asked to come in.

What is known so far is that a plane with 170 passengers is having difficulty landing, after the pilot declared an emergency.

Emergency personnel have been called up to be prepared for any scenario.

Firetrucks and ambulances have been called in from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Rishon L’Tzion. The IAF dispatched two 669 emergency rescue helicopters to the area.

Education Minister Shai Piron spent the night in Beilinson hospital after complaining of chest pains on his flight back to Israel with Prime Minister Netanyahu. He was rushed to the hospital as soon as the plane landed. A doctor on the flight took care of him until the plane landed.

IBA news reports that doctors at Beilinson report seeing no indications that Piron had a heart attack.