Protests against Israelis, Jews in Thailand go on after failed bid to nix Rosh Hashanah event

Protests against Israeli tourists in Thailand continued today, and are due to take place again tomorrow, after an activist effort to cancel a Rosh Hashanah event on the island of Phuket failed, local media report.

The protests follow a demonstration late last month by a group called “Save Phuket” against alleged misbehavior by Israeli and other tourists, including not paying for meals, arguing with taxi drivers, and other disruptive actions. Thailand is a popular tourist destination for Israelis.

Shortly after that protest, Thailand shortened visa-free stays for tourists from dozens of countries, including Israel, from 60 to 30 days. The move had been planned for months.

Today, hundreds of Thais gathered again opposite the Israeli embassy to protest the conduct of Israeli tourists. Some held signs with blatantly antisemitic language, such as one reading “You Jewish folks don’t understand Thai culture, so get out.”

Other signs read, “Save Thailand,” “Thailand Is Not For Sale” and “This is Not The Promised Land,” according to the South China Morning Post. The protest objected to land sales to Israelis and the establishment of “religious houses for Israelis,” the publication reports.

“Save Phuket” is planning another protest for tomorrow opposite the Chabad center on the island. Chabad is hosting observances of the Jewish New Year, which begins tomorrow evening. That protest comes after the group unsuccessfully pushed to cancel a Chabad Rosh Hashanah event, the Bangkok Post reports.

Earlier this week, Israeli Ambassador Alona Fisher-Kamm met with Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow to discuss “overall bilateral relations between Thailand and Israel, as well as specific issues that may affect or hinder the promotion of people-to-people relations and the expansion of cooperation in tourism,” according to the foreign minister.