In Turkey, an Israeli airline plane was unable to refuel after protests by airport staff.
Surprise at the airport. An Israeli El Al plane was refused refueling at a Turkish airport after its emergency landing on Sunday, June 30.
While heading to Tel Aviv, flight LY5102 from Warsaw had to make an emergency landing to evacuate a sick passenger at Antalya airport in Turkey. This is where the staff refused to take charge of refueling the machine, indicates AFP. “Local workers (in Antalya) refused to refuel the company’s plane even though (the emergency landing) took place for medical reasons,” said the Israeli company which was forced to take the heading to Rhodes, Greece, to fill up with fuel.
A Turkish diplomatic source also spoke on the subject. “The fuel was supposed to be transferred to the plane (…) but while the proper procedure was about to be finalized, the captain decided to leave on his own,” AFP said.
Strained diplomatic relations
The relationship between Israel and Turkey, although one of the rare Muslim-majority countries to recognize the Israeli state, has been strained since October 7 and the attacks carried out by Hamas. Flights between the two countries have been suspended.
In recent months, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has shown his support for the Palestinian people in the face of Israeli military attacks in Gaza. The latter has repeatedly described Israeli attacks as “terrorist”. “Approximately 1,000 Hamas members are currently being treated in hospitals in my country. The entire West is attacking them with all kinds of weapons and ammunition,” he said on May 13 during a press conference.
