Rep. Nancy Mace Thanks El Al, U.S. State Department And U.S. Embassy Jerusalem For Historic Deal To Evacuate Stranded Americans
After Congresswoman Mace and Grey Bull Rescue evacuated hundreds of Americans from Middle East war zone; public pressure on State Department delivers results
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Mar. 13, 2026) - Congresswoman Nancy Mace (SC-01) today praised the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and the State Department for securing a historic agreement with El Al Airlines to provide nonstop return flights to the United States for Americans departing Israel beginning March 16.
The announcement follows Congresswoman Mace’s very public and urgent calls for the U.S. government to deploy planes to evacuate stranded Americans from the region. Rep. Mace had been requesting transatlantic flights from the U.S. government since Monday, March 9th. She went public with this request when no additional dedicated planes were committed to evacuation efforts, on March 12th.
Congresswoman Mace spent the past week on the ground in the Middle East, without sleep, assisting with the coordination of the evacuation of hundreds of American citizens from an active war zone alongside Grey Bull Rescue. She met with foreign leaders, Embassy personnel, U.S. Ambassadors and many foreign officials, who had tentatively agreed to assist with additional evacuations using their aircraft. She departed Israel on a rescue flight filled with Americans.
Congresswoman Mace worked directly with the State Department to secure an aircraft for evacuees managed by Grey Bull Rescue, a specialized crisis response organization, ran the ground operation, locating stranded Americans, coordinating logistics, and making sure no American was left behind. Together, they got it done.
"I begged privately for planes. I begged publicly for planes. We said it loud and we said it clear: get our American citizens out of a warzone,” said Congresswoman Mace. “Today's announcement proves pressure works, but we weren't willing to wait. We got on a plane, worked the phones, sat across from government officials and foreign leaders, and didn't stop until Americans were boarding flights home. This is what our job is all about."
Under the new El Al agreement, U.S. citizens, including those who already hold El Al tickets and those who wish to purchase new ones, will be able to travel on nonstop flights to the United States outside of the standard passenger caps currently in effect. Americans seeking to depart are asked to register via the El Al form available through the U.S. Embassy Jerusalem's bio link which can also be found HERE.
"When Americans needed their government to show up, we showed up. Now they're coming home,” Mace continued.
See Congresswoman Mace’s calls for action here:
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