To employees of Southernjets Innanashnul:
Israel bans iPad, says devices will be confiscated at airport
April 20, 2010
If you’re traveling to Israel, don’t take your iPad. Israel has banned imports of Apple Inc.’s new iPad, saying the device’s wireless technology interferes with signals of other devices, news reports said.
The Ministry of Communications placed a ban on the devices this week, preventing anyone – even flight crews – from bringing iPads into Israel until officials certify that they comply with local transmitter standards.
Customs officials in Israel said they would confiscate the device at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, and the device will be held for a daily storage fee until owners depart the country or ship the gadgets back to the U.S. at their own expense, according to news sources.
“This device’s wireless strengths violate Israeli’s law and will overpower other wireless devices in Israel,” ministry spokesman Yechiel Shavi said in The Wall Street Journal.
Israel is the only country so far to officially ban iPad imports.