Jewish passengers on an Iberia flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid were shocked to find the phrase “Free Palestine” handwritten on their kosher meal packaging, prompting outrage from Jewish leaders and raising fresh concerns over rising antisemitism in Spain, reports Jewish News Syndicate.
The incident occurred aboard flight IB0102 on Tuesday. Salvador Auday, one of the passengers, received a meal labelled with the phrase “Free Palestine” written in black ink, while others found only the initials “FP” on their kosher meals. DAIA, the umbrella organisation for Argentina’s Jewish communities, called it a “serious antisemitic incident” and has demanded explanations and immediate action from the airline.
In a statement reported by AFP, Iberia confirmed that some passengers had complained about “handwritten pro-Palestinian messages” on their meal packaging. The airline said the captain apologised to the affected passengers and that the crew documented the incident. An internal investigation is underway.
The controversy follows a separate recent incident involving Spanish budget airline Vueling, in which 44 French-Jewish teenagers and eight adults were removed from a flight from Valencia to Paris, allegedly for singing in Hebrew. Witnesses disputed the airline’s claim that the group was being disruptive. One group leader was arrested at the boarding gate.
Spain has seen a sharp spike in antisemitic incidents in recent months, with its government among the most vocally anti-Israel in the European Union. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez referred to Israel as a “genocidal state” in May and imposed an arms embargo.
In July alone, Israeli tourists were reportedly chased out of a restaurant in Vigo and stalked near Barcelona. One group said they were threatened multiple times and chased through the streets of Lloret de Mar by men carrying sticks.
Spain’s Observatory against Antisemitism documented 193 incidents in its 2024 report—a 321% increase over the previous year, and 567% higher than in 2022. Most incidents were reportedly linked to the war in Gaza.
Photo Credit: DAIA
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