Three years ago, the Israel Airports Authority had reported that Ben Gurion Airport had become a smoke-free zone, eliminating smoking areas in the various terminals.
However, in recent weeks those responsible for the airport decided to go back with the measure. Passengers can now smoke in a small room near the synagogue in Terminal 3. According to sources close to the Israel Airports Authority, another smoking area in Terminal 1 will soon open in Ben Gurion.
According to information provided by Channel 12 news, the airport had decided to reinstall designated smoking areas because passengers did not respect the new regulation and smoked in the bathrooms.
Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of the public health area of the Ministry of Health, was publicly against the measure. She stated that the resolution goes against the national goal of reducing the smoking rate. Cigarette and tobacco consumption increased by 20% in the last period, after years in which this statistic was declining.
Furthermore, official reports claim that around 8,000 Israelis die from smoking-related diseases every year. For its part, the Israel Cancer Association stated that it is a destructive decision, “which will take Israel 50 years back.”
“Today we are smarter and we aspire to raise a generation of children free of active and passive smoking. Have we learned nothing in recent decades? While other nations move forward and pass laws prohibiting smoking and airports around the world close smoking areas and lounges, Israel is taking a step back,” the organization said.
There are people who are tourists and smokers and make long trips to get to Israel. Smoking in a smoking room is very unpleasant for those who smoke.