Palestinians Are Forced to Leave Plane After Israelis Protest
A group of Israelis refused to sit in their plane until two Palestinian-Israelis agreed to take a later flight. (Photo: Aero Icarus/Flickr)
While the airline conceded this was “possibly racially profiling,” two Palestinian-Israeli passengers were forced to disembark their plane and stay overnight for a new one because of Israeli passengers’ repeated demand for security checks.
The incident happened Monday on an Aegean Airlines flight from Athens to Tel Aviv and involved two Arab-Israelis, who according to Israeli news site Maariv, are from the hotly contested region of east Jerusalem. They were given apologies, offered overnight accommodations and transportation, and passed further checks from police before flying home Tuesday, an airline spokesperson told Newsweek.
“While it is indeed unfortunate that they were possibly racially profiling the customers, indeed their fellow Israelis, safety must be first,” spokesperson said in a statement. “The pilot did feel compelled to delay the flight and call the police so to check again the two [Arab-Israeli] passengers’ documents and identities.”
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The airline spokesperson said the incident began when a group of Israelis on the flight “very vocally and persistently” requested a security check on the two Palestinian fliers. The passengers passed that check, but a larger group of fliers then demanded a further check of the cabin. With the plane ready for takeoff, the Israelis then refused to sit down, leading to the Palestinians agreeing to leave the plane.
An Israeli embassy spokesperson in Greece told Newsweek the incident was “unfortunate,” but wouldn’t comment further.
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