A Thai staff member at a Phuket travel agency clashed with an Israeli family after displaying a Palestinian flag at the company and responding to an alleged “Free Israel” remark.
The video was shared by the Phuket Times Facebook page yesterday, August 23, and subsequently went viral. The date and time of the incident were not reported.
In the footage, the 24 year old Thai employee is seen waving a Palestinian flag while repeatedly shouting, “Free Palestine!” He also uses vulgar language in both Thai and English while speaking to the Israeli tourists. At the end of the video, the Thai man can be heard saying…
“This is my land. This is Thailand, not your land!”
The Israeli group waves at the Thai staff member and appears to shout something back, although their words cannot be heard clearly in the footage. Some of the children are also seen sticking out their tongues at the Thai man.
The agency staff member later told Phuket Times that two Palestinian tourists had visited the travel agency to book a rafting package. He described the two tourists as friendly and said they did not ask for a discount.
A friend of the employee who supported Palestine then suggested displaying a Palestinian flag at the agency to attract more Palestinian customers. The friend said the flag could make Palestinian visitors feel welcome and encourage them to recommend the agency to more people. The employee then placed the flag on the counter.
The Israeli group was reportedly visiting a nearby shop to buy clothes when one of the children noticed the Palestinian flag and called the others over to look at it.
The Thai staff member said the group stood still and stared at him, prompting him to ask what had happened. One of the men, believed to be the father, then asked whether he supported Palestine.
The employee explained that he had displayed the flag to attract more Palestinian customers. The Israeli man allegedly responded, “Free Israel,” before the exchange continued as shown in the video.
The Thai worker said he had never opposed Israeli tourists and had not previously expressed an opinion about the conflict between Israel and Palestine, which he considered unrelated to his personal life.
He said he responded as shown in the footage because he was disturbed by the behaviour of the Israeli group.
The video generated divided reactions among Thai social media users. Some praised the travel agency employee’s response, while others said his actions could contribute to further tension between Israeli visitors and Thai residents in the area.
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The story Palestinian flag prompts tense exchange between Thai man and Israeli family as seen on Thaiger News.
