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Egyptian officials enraged by airport harassments
Smadar Peri
Published: 26.08.07, 09:30
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32 Talkbacks for this article
1. Anyone remember Azzam Azzam?
Ilan ,   Ariel   (08.26.07)
When we throw someone into solitary for a decade then we should be really sorry. That is the difference between a flawed and and evil system. We are flawed true, but what Egypt did was unforgivable.
2. Not Good
Semsem ,   New York, USA   (08.26.07)
I can understand that Israel must remain cautious but maybe the agents should take "etiquette classes." This was really stupid.
3. Airport treatment
Simon ,   C.Town,South Africa   (08.26.07)
And an Israeli businessman coming to Egypt is it a Breeze in the park, I don't think so !
4. well, we all know egyptians do not harrass israelis
mike ,   israel (formerly usa   (08.26.07)
my arab family recently spent a while in egypt and they know the routine about not letting anyone outside the terminal know they are from israel, lest there be some problems from the tolerant and thoughtful population there. this article highlights the exception; in egypt, it is the rule to treat israelis bad. bad israeli behavior is not excused at ben gurion airport, but in the big scheme of things, israel still does this WAY less than any other country.
5. #1 - Amen! Egyptian visitors don't deserve respect!
Scott ,   USA   (08.26.07)
6. Such high level deligation deserve respect. Fullstop.!!
KMR ,   Middle East   (08.26.07)
7. Israeli tourists
israeli ,   israel   (08.26.07)
should stop going to Egypt altogether: remember the Sinai bombings (including the one at Taba)? Both Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah are threatening to target vacationing Israelis. Besides, anyone remember the ten Israeli Arabs killed in a bus "accident" and the survivors' accounts of unavailable rescue and first aid services? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3294430,00.html Egyptian businessmen can rest assured that I for one have no intention of setting foot in and spending my hard-earned money in their country.
8. Israelis respect nobody!
Ahlan ,   Jerusalemite   (08.26.07)
9. Thank you airport security
tma   (08.26.07)
For doing your job in protecting our safety. What would we do without you? I feel safer knowing Egyptians can't just come here to do what they want. You won't see me going to Egypt for business or vacation. I don't trust Egyptians at all.
10. Welcome to try American Security
Lavy ,   Israel / USA   (08.26.07)
Have them travel to America if they think Israel is tuff on them. Make sure you have clean underware on though. The treatment of Arabs at the Israeli Airport is wonderful. Maybe they should stop crying and handle the fact that its Arab terrorists that cause all the world Airline problems..
11. Thank you airport Security
Alan ,   SA   (08.26.07)
12. Don't whine! It's the same for everybody.
Helene ,   Israel   (08.26.07)
In favour of safe aviation.
13. Racism, discrimination
Fussion ,   Israel   (08.26.07)
Israel continues to shoot itself in the foot, due to their racist policies at the airport and else where. It matters not that these high ranking business officials, with VISA'S mind you, could not be terrorists. Israeli security has to have its pound of flesh. Is it any surprise that they stop coming to Israel ? Who needs this kind of belittlement and humiliation ? I traveled to Egypt during Sharon's summit meeting with Mubarak,without a valid visa. The Egyptians were gracious and kind, barely looking at my passport. Will Israeli's never learn or are they just too stubborn to realize what is good business practice and diplomacy.
14. It is worse at Atlanta Airport. Maybe the Egyptians should
Rivkah   (08.26.07)
avoid going to Atlanta, too. At least at Ben Gurion Airport, I was stripped in a private room with a female guard. In Atlanta, I was forced to disrobe and put my shirt on the xray conveyor belt and walk through the metal detector in my undergarment. Other passengers turned away in embarrassment, but my shirt was not handed back to me. I think it was racially motivated by a Black guard who wanted to see a White woman's breasts. Race hatred is not only between Moslems and Jews. The Egyptian complained of a two hour delay in getting his passport back at Ben Gurion Airport. My luggage was delayed getting to me at a hotel in Israel for two days when it had to be on the airplane. I guess it took time to go through all my pharmaceuticals and other things I travel with. Maybe everything had to be lab tested even though in original containers. The Egyptian businessmen were treated better than I was, so they should be thankful instead of upset. In America, they might have been told to get off the plane before it took off, looking unAmerican. That happened to four Roman Catholic nuns who were from India but worked in America. The pilot would not fly the plane with them on it. Strange things happen in a world of terror. The obstacles I encountered will not deter me from visiting Israel, again. But I do avoid Atlanta by air.
15. Rivkah
charles ,   petach tikva   (08.26.07)
If you are this "religious" one , you deserved this much to nice treatement .
16. Thanks to israel, egyptians humiliate Palestinians at Cairo
star T ,   NY, USA   (08.26.07)
I really liked this article, because egyptians treat palestinians in a very bad way at airport in cairo, we are talking about days of delay, not only hours, so thank you Israel for showing egyptians, that they are just nothing........thanks
17. #15 Charles
ER ,   Canada   (08.26.07)
Charles, old buddy, Rivkah is a Xian poser. Judging from her other talkbacks, she also has a chip.
18. Why I don't Fly El Al any longer
meir   (08.26.07)
We were in Ben Gurion waiting to board the El Al plane at midnight. We had an infant and our 4 year old son. Having traveled in many places we expected them to announce pre-boarding to allow traveler with infants and small children to pre-board the plane. We inquired but got no response. We fought our way with strollers through the traffic. When everyone was boarded they found a mechanical problem and tried to fix it on the runway. We were stuck in the plane for 6 hours until they figured out that they could not fix it and decided to send everyone off the plane. My wife held the infant. I dealt with our carry on's. But by this time our 4 year old way pretty much out of it. We reached the doorway and had to go down the steps to the tarmac. Seeing that our son was not as steady as I would like we asked the stewardess and steward if they could just give him a hand for a second to make sure he didn't fall. They refused. We were virtually the last people to depart the plane and they were just standing around chatting. When they allowed us to re-board the plane, again I asked about preboarding and again nothing. It is now twenty years later and I have never flown El Al since and never will. I have told many friends, Jewish and Non-Jewish, about this experience. And now you all know about the disgusting way people are treated. You can also add to this the Israelis in the Kiryon shopping center who smoke right under the NO SMOKING signs. And when I photographed in the shopping center the Russian security guard got all over me although there are no NO PHOTOGRAPHY signs and it is not a military installation. Yet they do not enforce the posted NO SMOKING signs. It seems that the Israeli government and Israeli people and their rude and incompetent behavior are there own worst enemies. No damage can be done by Palestinians or terrorists that compare to the damage Israelis and the government do to themselves.
19. headache for nothing
Egyptian ,   Egypt   (08.26.07)
We have more visitors from the Israel than you have from Egypt. We can treat your people the same way. Regarding Sinai bombings I think more Egyptians died than Israelis in these attacks. And there is a simple solution don’t come to our country every body in the tourist industry knows that Israeli tourist are just headache for nothing. I also believe that nobody in Egypt wants anything to do with your racist country anyway. Just stop bitching about normalization that Israel doesn’t deserve it.
20. #18 Meir - I agree. My new residence is USA
Elie ,   Washington DC   (08.26.07)
My wife was hospitalized 3 times during the last month of her first pregnancy. I received my Tzav (army orders) to report just days after my son was born. My wife was suffering post-partum, had not recovered, and could not cope with herself and a newborn. I presented the army with a ValTam (request for deferment) along with the hospital papers and their response was Zabashcha (your problem not ours). It took 3 weeks and considerabling lying by army bases to cover their butts until I finally go out and filed by "Kevila" against Nun Mem (anti-aircraft) unit and got transferred. On top of that when Israel invested heavily in photo-radar units, they photographed my car leaving Yavne. I could see the 90 Km sign in front of me and as I accelerated, they photographed my car still a few feet in front of the sign. I went to court but after waiting hours, was told to go home. Six months later I got a second summons on the same ticket. At this time my father was critically ill and I had to fly back to USA. I went to the court in Rehovot to request a postponement. But the clerk at the window refused to talk to me or help me in any way. I went to the guard at the front door and he gave me the forms. I completed them to the best of my ability but when I went to the clerk at the window, they refused to accept them. In the end I decided that if this is the way I was to be treated by the govt, army, etc. I don't need this. I returned to USA. In addition I can tell you about numerous others who left because of similar experiences. The sad part is all of us are at the top of our professions. I was a major player in the computer industry. A friend of mine who also leave is the chief of emergency medicine at a hospital. Another relative is a major physician in New York in his specialty area. In the end only the Olmerts (least competent people with no options) will remain. This is largely why the political landscape in Israel looks as bad as it does. The idealist and cream of the crop are leaving before the ink is dry on their visas.
21. ER , I know
charles ,   petach tikva   (08.26.07)
22. Poor Meir # 18 , i'm always flying El Al
charles ,   petach tikva   (08.26.07)
And always people with babies are the first to board . Probably you were shouting at them , or at least talking in an unfriendly way . Yes people are smoking in forbidden areas , the law will soon be enforced [ i hope that now it's serious ] But your tb has no relation to this article .
23. #15 & #17: Now it's "chip" you say I have after calling me
Rivkah   (08.26.07)
a whore, a liar, crazy, lights out with no one home...there is no end to jealousy. But then, the Rabbi Yeshua you will both meet someday said no one can stand before envy. Read Zechariah's book in the Bible to see what happens when the Messiah of the Jews comes to deliver them from a multinational attack at Armageddon. The Jews will look at his hands and mourn as for a first born son becuase then they will know the NAME of the God they have worshipped as Adonai/Hashem under a valid covenant with God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants. He is coming to judge the nations on how they treated the Jews who were/are Jews in their hearts, which includes the grafted on branch as well as the root of the tree of faith. What will be your judgment? That should be your great concern. Will you lose your reward in heaven for attacking me or your place in heaven for unbelief?
24. Elie , you think you are the cream ? LOL
charles ,   petach tikva   (08.26.07)
25. #22 Charles - You Respond Like a Palestinian
meir   (08.26.07)
Charles, First of all the central focus of the article was the way that Egyptian businessmen who could contribute to Israel/Egyptian commerce were treated badly by Israeli airport personnel repeatedly and the potential impact to both their travel to Israel and economic/peace impact. My article was connected to the central theme of the treatment of people by Israeli official in an official/airport context. It went on to connect to the treatment of people by pseudo officials (i.e. security guard) and generalize to the deplorable behavior of many Israelis in a govt context all the way to private sector and many private citizens as they trash hotels abroad and their behavior in general. You on the other hand did not address anything I wrote but instead chose to presumsuously hypothesize on how I might have behaved without any basis whatsoever. Your writing looks very Arabic/Palestinian in it basic premise: "If the facts refute my position, then the facts must be wrong" or "I the other person disagrees, then artificially assign some fault to the other person to try to divert attention what the central facts that contravert my position." Sorry Charles but you will have to do much better than that. Salaam
26. #18 Meir - Look at Charles' other writings. He negates himse
elie   (08.26.07)
Meir, Look at Charles' disrespectful writing in response to Rivkah and others. He clearly shows his colors. He is definitely not the sharpest pencil in the box and his writings in general are pathetic.
27. A result of egyptian anti-semitism
Bernard Ross ,   st. anns bay,jamaica   (08.26.07)
28. airport
colin   (08.27.07)
The israelis do not even respect themselves.As the superiors do not give a damn so the subordinates act.They are inconsiderate,incompatant,rude pompas foolish idiots.I came on aliya 40yrs ago and still am unable to adjust to the sick Israeli mentality.
29. Meir , the anti Israeli ?
charles ,   petach tikva   (08.27.07)
I have flown certainly more than 20 flights to and from Tel Aviv by El Al . In every flight , i say EVERY , people with babies were the FIRST to board [ if they were on time ] , and the latests to leave . So i can't understand what happened to you . The only people who had problems on board where those who "provoked" them . For example , on tisha be'av , religious wanted their meal half an hour before landing , when the fast was over . Impossible of course to give it them . Or people who did not sit when asked to do it . That's why i wrote that you probably not behaved very correctly . The treatement of the Egyptians is not how they were treated ON board , but by the security personnel and pasport control on the ground . So YOUR story is NOT related to this article . Maybe you are not Jewish , or an anti Israeli ? I by flying ONLY EL AL and living here , have proven the contrary , i am . Mijn hatelijkste groeten
30. #29 Charles - The incident happened in 1988!
meir   (08.27.07)
Charles, 1. The incident happened in 1988 and you must be a youngster if you don't remember how El Al treated people. This was quite well known. I they have improved since, it is irrelevant because the damage was done. 2. You still don't get the connection between how Israeli govt and pseudo govt people treat others, especially people who are friends or trying to help, and alienate their friends. 3. My family is deeply rooted in Israel and Zionist. One of my relatives was in the Irgun and hung by the British, etc. This list is quite extensive. Again you seem to jump to conclusion without any facts. I am not against Israel except in the behavior of Israelis, incompetence of the current govt, etc. 4. With regard to your attacks on Rivkah and others, and in general. You may wish to review some of the responses to your writing and get a feel for what people think of you.
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