Former prime minister Ehud Barak was allowed to go home after stepping off a flight from London on Tuesday night, despite mandatory quarantine at a designated hotel for all UK arrivals due to the mutated strain of the coronavirus that has emerged in Britain.
When El Al Flight LY316 from London landed at Ben-Gurion Airport, the passengers were told to remain in their seats in order to allow the former leader and his partner to go straight to a car waiting on the runway.
"When I saw Barak on the plane, I knew he was not going to go with us on the bus," one passenger said. "When the plane stopped, Barak and whoever was with him quickly got up and disembarked as fast as they could."
Another passenger said: "There are no longer any expectations of our public leaders, who are so disconnected from the public. He did not even try to hide it. I suppose Health Ministry and government orders only apply to some sectors of society and not to others."
Barak and the Health Ministry said the arrangement was necessary due to security concerns.
They said the former leader would isolate in his home and be tested as necessary.