Diplomatic dispute with Turkey lands at Istanbul airport

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Israel's airport security is widely admired but its stringent passenger screening has been criticized by other countries -- and by the Israeli supreme court. On Monday, some Israelis got a glimpse of what it's like on the receiving end of a harsh security inspection when they were forced to undress by personnel at an airport in Turkey.

The incident came days after relations between Israel and Turkey reached an all-time low when Turkey announced a further downgrade of diplomatic ties, including expelling the outgoing Israeli ambassador to Turkey and suspending military and economic dealings. The Turkish moves followed Israel's rejection of a Turkish ultimatum for Israel to apologize for last year's deadly flotilla raid.

After the airport incident, Israeli officials accused Turkey of trying to lead Israel into an open confrontation."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/09/israel-new-low-in-relations-as-israelis-harrased-in-turkey-airport.html



"We often humilitate Turks; they're paying us back"

<snip>

"Close inspections, questioning, and long delays are what awaited dozens of Israelis who arrived at Istanbul Ataturk Airport this morning on a Turkish Airways flight from Ben Gurion Airport. Yet another incident that underscores the deterioration in Israeli-Turkish relations.

The passengers, mostly businesspeople making working visits to Turkey, reported a humiliating experience. "One of the managers of my group called me from there and told me that he was being held up at the airport, and that his passport had been sent to the police for inspection. He was released an hour later, and allowed to go," NCA Group chairman Yair Geller told "Globes". The company manufactures automotive components in Turkey. "The problem is that, this morning, the Turks decided to do to Israelis what Israel has been constantly doing to every Turk who arrives in Israel. Sometimes, when I invite Turkish guests to Israel, I am ashamed: security checks and interrogations, delays, and questions to the Israel Security Agency that can take three hours, as if the visitors are detainees. We constantly humiliate them, and they are now paying us back."

http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000679804

[Scurrilous]

1. Perhaps Israelis need humiliation to respect others

Israel should view the harassment of Israeli Turkish Airlines passengers humbly as it serves as an embarrassing reflection on us.

<snip>

"The Israeli response that has followed the harassment of Israeli Turkish Airlines passengers who experienced detention and intrusive body searches upon their arrival at Istanbul airport on Monday, borders on hysteria and hypocrisy. The incident was blown out of all proportion and immediately became an additional and unnecessary chapter in the friction between Turkey and Israel.

There is no doubt about the fact that the conduct of Istanbul airport authorities was improper, and it is unforgivable - even if it was the result of retaliation for similar treatment Israeli authorities accorded Turkish air travelers. Nonetheless, Israeli citizens, and even more so the Israeli government and the Israel Airports Authority, should view it more humbly inasmuch as it serves as an embarrassing reflection on us.

The security check that Turkish citizens - and passengers from other countries with a Muslim majority - experience as they travel through Israel is stringent, overbearing and humiliating. Israeli citizens have gotten used to taking off for Turkey without the need for a visa, enjoying the hospitality of Turkish tourism services and vacationing in their multitudes in Turkish cities, villages and beach resorts without any restriction. Turks seeking to come to Israel for a visit, however, have had to go through a real ordeal, beginning at the Israeli consulate, where on occasion they get turned down without explanation, and later - assuming they get a visa - ending with an exhausting and humiliating airport security check.

The State of Israel has never apologized to these visitors and has never thought they deserved compensation for the lost time and the insult. Israel doesn't bother at all to explain its offensive security inspection procedures. To this day, it has not provided a proper response to the High Court of Justice, which demanded an explanation over the blatant discrimination experienced by Israeli Arabs before they board flights here.

In recent years, Israeli Arabs have complained about the treatment they receive, which has far exceeded the limits that can be explained by security needs. This includes intrusive body searches, unbearable delays and questioning on matters that have nothing to do with the flight. Most of the airport's passengers ignore the outrageous discrimination, or are not even aware of it. Perhaps now, having tasted the bitterness of this humiliation, they will no longer take it for granted."

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/perhaps-israelis-need-humiliation-to-respect-others-1.383395