Angela Merkel urged to strip Kuwait Airways of landing rights for ban on Israelis
German Justice Ministry calls for the chancellor to act against the airline over its ban on Israelis
The German Justice Ministry has asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to strip Kuwait Airways of its German landing rights because of its policy of banning Israelis from flying on its planes.
The request follows a German court judgement last week in which the judge sided with the airline over its discriminatory policy towards Israelis because the airline offered to pay for them to fly on other airlines instead.
German Justice Secretary Christian Lange this week asked Merkel to personally withdraw the airline’s landing rights, saying: “We must never be silent when Jews are discriminated against or harassed.”
He added: “The German Government must make it clear that it rejects this form of discrimination and hatred – and that we are on our side of our Israeli friends. Our friendship with Israel is non-negotiable. Such discrimination is not tolerable.”
German Foreign Minister Michael Roth said: “It is incomprehensible that in today’s Germany a passenger cannot board a plane simply because of his nationality.”
The U.S-based Lawfare Project, which supported the Israeli plaintiff, said the judgment at Frankfurt District Court in favour of Kuwait Airways had “whitewashed antisemitism” and applauded the ministers’ interventions.
The plaintiff had bought a ticket from Frankfurt to Bangkok but was barred from boarding his flight because of his nationality.
Brooke Goldstein of the Lawfare Project said: “To see a Jewish person banned from exercising his freedoms in Germany in 2017 is chilling enough. To see that discrimination whitewashed and legitimised by a German judge is grotesque.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
