Phuket restaurant owner sparks debate for refusing serve to Israeli man
A Phuket restaurant owner drew mixed reactions online after posting videos showing him chasing an Israeli man from his restaurant and shouting “free Palestine” as the man walked away.
The restaurant owner shared two videos on his Facebook account yesterday, March 9. In his caption, he said he asked the man to leave after seeing Hebrew on the man’s phone screen. In the first video, the owner is heard saying…
“No Israeli. I don’t want to sell anything to Israeli. Go away, go, go!”
The footage showed the owner following the foreign man and continuing to complain as the man walked out of the restaurant and onto a public road. At the end of the clip, the owner was repeatedly heard shouting “free Palestine”.
The Israeli man expressed his dissatisfaction, but refrained from confronting the Phuket restaurant owner. He was seen filming the owner and his restaurant before walking away.
Reaction online was divided. Some of the owner’s friends and followers supported his actions, while other netizens criticised the confrontation and said he should not escalate conflict in Thailand, particularly in Phuket where tourists come from many countries.
Some commenters defended the restaurant owner by mentioning previous reports about inappropriate behaviour by Israeli tourists in Thailand. Some said the video reminded them of a separate incident involving an Israeli woman who claimed her money built the country.
The post comes amid other incidents in Thailand linked to overseas political tensions. On March 6, a related case was reported in Phuket in which an Israeli man allegedly assaulted an elderly foreigner on Bangla Road following an argument about conflict in Middle Eastern countries.
The same Israeli man was also reported to have behaved aggressively towards a Thai police officer who intervened to stop the incident.
In another case in February, a German man was arrested in Bangkok after he allegedly spray-painted political graffiti calling out for Palestine on properties on Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani province.
The man reportedly painted words including “Gaza”, “Save Gaza”, and “Libre” on both private and public property across the island. Officials from the Immigration Bureau of Thailand said they would consider deporting him, but no further update was made public.
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