Pro-Palestine activists have applauded a “courageous” Ryanair flight attendant who announced to passengers several times last week that a flight bound for Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv would be landing in Palestine, The New Arab reported.
‘Innocent Mistake’
Passengers say an announcement onboard a flight by the Irish carrier from Bologna in Italy to Tel Aviv “repeatedly described their final destination as Palestine” in both Italian and English, according to Israeli media.
When some angry travelers confronted the cabin crew on camera, they were told to return to their seats or face arrest on touchdown.
"Welcome to Israel-Palestine" – AirFrance pilot, 2002
"Welcome to Palestine" -Alitalia pilot, 2003
"Welcome to Palestine" -Iberia pilot, 2015
"Welcome to Palestine" -Ryanair pilot, yesterdayA 🧵on pilots saying welcome to "Palestine" & getting punishedhttps://t.co/XCt3oxzrrc pic.twitter.com/LtqWJM2h0L
— Zachary Foster (@_ZachFoster) June 14, 2023
Ryanair was contacted by The New Arab for comment, but has since made the following statement:
“A junior crew member on this flight from Bologna to Tel Aviv (10 June) made a routine descent public announcement mistakenly saying ‘Palestine’ instead of ‘Tel Aviv’.
“This was an innocent mistake with no intent and was immediately corrected and apologized for by the senior crew member on board.”
‘Anti-Semitism’
The flight attendant who made the announcement has not publicly confirmed whether this was an act of solidarity with Palestinians suffering under Israeli occupation or, as Ryanair claimed, a simple mistake.
Some Israelis have accused Ryanair of “anti-Semitism” and called for a boycott of Ryanair until a “proper” apology is issued.
Pro-Palestine activists in Ireland and beyond have been quick to show their support for the flight attendant.
#Ryanair flight attendant had the courage to speak the truth. 75 yrs ago, '#Israel' was #Palestine. Sure, colonialism prevailed. But people with any sense of morality know that truth cannot be altered by force. One day there will one state, where we can all co-exist as equals. pic.twitter.com/iTsAAq00FB
— Ramzy Baroud (@RamzyBaroud) June 16, 2023
“The Ryanair staff member was right of course,” said the Irish-Palestinian solidarity group Sadaka.
“Lod is actually Lydda. Surely you know about the Lydda Death March to Jordan? More than 50,000 Palestinians were expelled from Lydda and Ramle in ‘48. Order signed by Rabin. It’s not forgotten.”
‘Fly Ryanair’
“Please DO fly Ryanair! The Irish continue their famous solidarity with Palestine. Not a huge deal, but still a nice gesture. And it gets Zionists upset so that’s cool,” tweeted Eli Gerzon.
Ryanair flies more than 200 flights a week into Israeli airspace – with Tel Aviv a popular destination of the Irish carrier’s network.
(The New Arab, PC)
