Israeli tourist kicks up a stink over shoe rule, plays victim (video)
A rude foreigner caught on camera insulting Thais over a simple “shoes off” rule has backpedalled furiously, claiming she was misunderstood, mistreated, and maligned simply for being Israeli, as fury mounts over a string of bad behaviour by her fellow countrymen in the Kingdom of Thailand.
The drama unfolded yesterday, May 5, when the Koh Pha Ngan Conscious Community Facebook page shared a now-viral 15-second clip of a female Israeli tourist mouthing off after staff asked her to remove her shoes before entering a café.
Instead of complying with the common courtesy, the unnamed woman snapped, claiming Israeli tourism “makes Thailand more prosperous.” The page, which posted the video with subtitles, said the row erupted purely because the woman refused to remove her footwear.
Police were later notified of the incident.
Online reaction was swift and brutal, with Thai and foreign netizens slamming the woman’s entitled behaviour. But the tourist in question has since tried to flip the narrative, issuing a rambling apology-cum-defence, insisting the clip was taken out of context and accusing critics of anti-Israeli sentiment, reported MGR Online.
“Hello, I am the woman in the video. First of all, I would like to clarify that what I said was taken out of context. My intention was to say that Israeli tourism helps the Thai economy.
“I have experienced physical and verbal abuse from my anger towards all Israelis who travel to Thailand.”
She went on to claim that the person who filmed the row wasn’t even staff, but another customer, and insisted she had permission to keep her shoes on due to foot pain.
“The person who filmed the video and her friend violently chased me out of the café. Even though I left to avoid the situation, the video is distorted and does not show the violence that happened to me at all.”
But critics weren’t buying the excuses, especially with Israeli nationals rapidly gaining a reputation for unruly antics across Thailand.
Last month, an ex-Israeli special forces soldier turned rogue tour guide was busted for leading jungle treks with children on Koh Pha Ngan without a permit.
In March, another Israeli man made headlines for defecating in a taxi in Pattaya and refusing to compensate the disgusted driver, eventually coughing up just 1,500 baht after police stepped in.
February saw four Israeli men fined 3,000 baht each for storming into an emergency room at Pai Hospital without permission, causing chaos and upsetting patients.
And back in January, police nabbed an Israeli tourist trying to exchange fake US dollars at a money changer in Soi Bua Khao, Pattaya.
The behaviour has grown so problematic that the Israeli Embassy has publicly urged its citizens to respect local customs and follow Thai laws while visiting.
As for the woman in the video, it seems a simple act of respect, removing one’s shoes, has now become a national embarrassment.
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