Israeli tourists in Thailand were left outraged after coming across a barbershop that had a sign on the front door, saying Israel's nationals are barred from receiving services there.
“Please, no Israel,” read the sign at the barbershop in Koh Tao. “I often cut hair for Israelis. It’s so problematic and disrespectful that I don’t want to be a barber anymore. Hope you understand.”
Ziv Paz, a 22-year-old Israeli tourist in Thailand who took a picture of the sign back in October, told Ynet: “I was shocked since many people standing in line didn’t seem to mind it. No one thought that the business was discriminating against an entire group of people, they were just passing by it.”
She added: “My first instinct was to take a picture because it was clearly wrong. I thought about going inside and asking why the sign was put up, but then, I thought that if people let it stay up, I may end up in trouble if I went it.”
Despite her experience, Paz said she felt safe in Thailand. “People treat Israelis differently in tourist hotspots, but I didn’t encounter any antisemitism other than my encounter with that sign.”
"I didn’t expect to see something like that in a place where everyone acts so nicely. I didn’t think they would allow this to continue.”
Cases of discrimination against Israeli tourists have been spiking. In July, an Israeli tourist in Columbia received a message on her cellphone with the hotel's strict guidelines, tailored especially to Israeli tourists.