Germany, Okay to ban Kuwait Airways to embark on Israeli raids

A German court stood out for an unusual ruling in which it dismissed the discrimination appeal of an Israeli citizen who was denied access to board a Kuwait Airways plane departing from Frankfurt. The case dates back to 2016, when the man was rejected from a direct flight to Bangkok, despite being in possession of a regular ticket. The man had been offered a ticket on another company's flight. The airline defended itself by saying it acted under a 1964 law prohibiting Kuwaitis from doing business with Israeli citizens. The Frankfurt court agreed with him, stating that it is not reasonable to expect the airline “to fulfill a contract if, in doing so, it violates the law of its country and risks being prosecuted at home for this. The court added that it was not its duty to judge the validity of this law or its compliance or otherwise with German and European law. The passenger was denied any right to compensation, as German law only applies to discrimination based on religion or ethnicity, not related to citizenship.

The lawyer of the Israeli citizen promised to appeal, speaking of a "shameful" sentence. If a restaurant refuses to serve a man because he is black, we are rightly indignant. And we would not stop being outraged if this man were offered a coupon for the restaurant next door, said lawyer Nathan Gelbart, speaking of "anti-Semitic discrimination". The mayor of Frankfurt, Uwe Becker, also criticized the verdict. An airline that practices anti-Semitic discrimination should not be allowed to take off from Frankfurt or any other German airport and then also said that Kuwaiti law, which is politically anti-Semitic and prohibits the transport of Israelis, cannot be a legal basis for violating the laws. international standards.

Germany, Okay to ban Kuwait Airways to embark on Israeli raids