Airline offers "Free Palestine" meals to Jewish passengers
The Spanish airline Iberia is currently investigating an incident where kosher meals served to Jewish passengers on a flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid contained handwritten messages supporting the Palestinian cause[1][2][3].
The airline confirmed the incident, stating that the crew documented it and the captain personally apologized to the affected passengers. Iberia is working with its catering suppliers to determine how the messages were added and categorically rejects discrimination or hate-related behavior[1][5].
The complaint was reported by Salvador Auday, a passenger who received one of the marked meals, who informed the flight attendants and the Delegation of Argentine Jewish Associations (DAIA), a prominent Jewish community organization in Argentina, which called the act a “serious act of antisemitism”[1][2][3].
The Israel-Palestine conflict is the apparent cause of the inscriptions on the Iberia kosher meals. This incident follows a recent controversy involving another Spanish airline, Vueling, which is part of the same parent company, over allegations of antisemitism with Jewish passengers removed from a flight[6].
Iberia emphasized that the messages were not from crew members, suggesting the possibility that someone outside the airline inserted the messages at the catering level[3]. The Israelite religious communities in Argentina (DAIA) described the incident as a "serious case of anti-Semitism" and published photos of the meal trays[1][2][3].
The airline values of respect and inclusion, which are "central to the identity" of the airline, were violated in this incident[4]. Iberia has announced a comprehensive investigation into the incident, both internally and with external suppliers responsible for catering.
In a separate incident, a group of French Jewish teenagers had to leave a Vueling aircraft just before takeoff due to inappropriate behavior[5]. Both Iberia and Vueling are Spanish airlines. The organizers of the teenagers' holiday camp accused Vueling of "physical and psychological violence" and religious discrimination, while Vueling described the behavior of the teenagers as "inappropriate."
The incidents on both airlines have sparked discussions about religious discrimination. Iberia has condemned the incident and is cooperating with authorities and suppliers to find the source.
References:
- The Guardian
- JTA News
- Reuters
- Iberia Press Release
- El País
- The Times of Israel
- Iberia's employment policy and community policy prioritize respect and inclusion, values that the airline considers central to its identity.
- The science of antisemitism has shown that such hate-related behaviors can manifest in various ways, including incidents like the one involving Iberia's kosher meals.
- Health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, mental-health, and lifestyle choices are important for maintaining overall well-being, but they should never lead to discrimination or hatred.
- Cooking kosher meals requires precision and care, but in the Iberia incident, it resulted in inserting messages supportive of the Palestinian cause, causing distress to the affected passengers.
- Food-and-drink preferences are personal and should be respected, whether it's kosher, halal, or any other dietary choice.
- Home-and-garden should be a sanctuary for peace and harmony, but regrettably, the incident with Iberia's kosher meals stirred up tensions related to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
- War-and-conflicts have long-lasting impacts on societies, contributing to polarization and intolerance, as evidenced by incidents like the one involving Iberia's kosher meals.
- Politics, general-news, crime-and-justice, and sports have the potential to unite people, but they can also divide societies if used to spread hatred and discrimination, as demonstrated by the incidents on Iberia and Vueling airlines.
