With Sukkot just around the corner, the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry issued a warning that under the Plant Protection Law, it is prohibited to bring plant products – including the Four Species – into Israel in carry-on luggage due to concerns about the introduction of pests that could harm local flora and agriculture.
The Four Species are four specific plants – lulav (palm branch), etrog (citron), hadassim (myrtle) and aravot (willow) – that are bound together and ritually waved during Sukkot to symbolize unity and divine praise.
The warning was issued with special consideration to the situation at Ben-Gurion Airport, which has become a bustling hub, with chaos on the rise.
As in previous years, amid the High Holy Days, the Plant Protection and Inspection Services reinforce their staff at the airport, in response to the increase in attempts by individuals and merchants to bring Four Species sets, which may be infested with various pests, into Israel.
Ministry warns against bringing plant products
The ministry has reiterated that bringing in plant products without authorization violates the law. However, to prevent inconvenience to travelers, inspectors from the ministry are providing travelers with a free personal set of locally produced items as a replacement for the confiscated Four Species.
“Every border inspection, every confiscated set, and every pest intercepted at the border is part of a security system designed to prevent irreversible damage to local crops and the agricultural export sector,” said Shlomit Tzioni, director of the Plant Protection and Inspection Services at the Ministry of Agriculture.
“The Plant Protection and Inspection Services operate year-round, and with increased vigilance during the holiday season, to protect Israel’s flora and agriculture”.
While the plants are mostly confiscated when they are brought to the country inside luggage, the ministry said that it will make one exception and let people keep the product if they are bringing an individual etrog for personal use only.
Rise in plant smuggling
In recent years, the ministry said it has seen a rising trend of plant product smuggling into Israel.
According to data from the ministry’s Plant Protection and Inspection Services, since the beginning of 2026, more than 1,200 passengers have been apprehended at Ben-Gurion Airport with various types of plant material in their luggage that are prohibited from entering the country.
The total amount of plant products seized and sent for destruction stands at approximately 3 metric tons, including fruits, vegetables, seeds, and tree parts.
“Importing fruits, vegetables, seeds, flower seedlings, and the Four Species without prior approval from the Plant Protection and Inspection Services poses a serious risk,” said Tzioni, adding that he believes that it ‘may lead to the introduction of pests that do not currently exist in Israel’.
These pests could harm local crops, thereby “causing irreversible damage to vegetation and agriculture,” according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and could even eventually wipe out entire sectors and undermine Israel’s food security.
Furthermore, Israel exports agricultural produce to many countries, such as Europe, the Far East, Russia, and the United States, and so, in addition to the immediate danger to agriculture in Israel, this could harm the export sector and the country’s economy.
Tzioni added: “We call on the citizens of Israel to help protect Israel’s flora and agriculture and to prevent a situation that could endanger local flora, agriculture, and the State of Israel’s food security. Together, we will ensure a happy and safe Sukkot for Israeli agriculture.”
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