Israel’s El Al Bars Palestinian Passengers from Boarding in Cairo Airport
 |
|
An El Al plane |
CAIRO,
Aug 9 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Security sources in Cairo
International Airport disclosed that Israel's El Al Airline Thursday,
August 8, barred 19 Palestinians from boarding, after they stood up to
defend one of them against Israeli security persons, news agencies
reported Friday, August 9, 2002.
The
fight broke out late Thursday when Amal Ahmed Aghbariya, holder of an
Israeli passport, was informed that she was too late to complete
boarding procedures on a flight bound for Tel Aviv, according to
Egyptian daily Al-Gomhuriya.
Aghbariya,
who explained she arrived five hours before departure, was pushed to
the ground by an El Al security agent.
Fellow
Palestinian passengers intervened in the fracas, following which 19 of
them were barred from traveling and sent to a hotel to take another
flight, the report said.
Cairo
Airport security persons had to intervene to control the situation
after some of the Palestinians passengers and Israeli security guards
were slightly wounded.
El
Al imposes among the strictest airline security in the world, and at
check-in passengers often spend much time answering security
questions.
Other
travelers are obliged to wait in a queue, sometimes for hours, and are
often sent away when it is too late to check in.
The
Israeli government has recently threatened to strip Palestinians of
their Israeli citizenship, in its attempts to quell the Palestinian
Intifada against occupation.
|
|
|
