Turkish airport staff refuses to refuel Israeli plane after landing
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Israeli media are claiming that Turkish authorities informed the Foreign Ministry that the plane would be permitted to refuel, but this did not happen.
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El Al planes are parked at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, on March 10, 2020. (AP)
Following an emergency landing in Antalya, Turkey, on Sunday, an Israeli El AI flight was denied refueling. Turkish personnel at Antalya Airport refused to refuel airplane LY5102 before it took off for "Israel", Israeli media reported.
"Local workers refused to refuel the company's plane, even though it was a medical case," the report stated, adding that the jet flew to Rhodes, Greece, where "it will refuel before taking off to Israel," according to the airline.
Turkish diplomatic sources confirmed that the jet was permitted to make an emergency landing to evacuate an ill passenger.
"Fuel was to be provided to the plane due to humanitarian considerations, but as the relevant procedure was about to be completed, the captain decided to leave of his own accord," according to a Turkish diplomat.
Israeli media reported that Turkish authorities informed the Foreign Ministry that the plane would be permitted to refuel, but this did not happen. Because the jet was wasting gasoline on the runway to keep air conditioning and other systems operational, it decided to take off for Rhodes to refuel there.
The jet was scheduled to land at Ben-Gurion Airport later Sunday. Israeli media sources reported that passengers were told they would be on the ground in Turkey without being allowed to depart the plane for several hours.
Until the beginning of the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Turkish Airlines operated more than 10 daily flights between "Tel Aviv" and Istanbul.
However, Turkey decided to cease its operation in "Israel", announcing in November that Turkish Airlines would not resume flights to "Tel Aviv" until at least October 2024, in protest against the unbearable civilian death toll and the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
It is worth noting that Turkish President Recep Erdogan consistently criticized "Israel", describing "Israel's" crimes as "occupier terrorism" constituting "genocide".
Israeli media reported that discontinuing Turkish Airlines' services in "Israel" created a significant gap, stressing that high prices faced by passengers are a result of limited supply and increasing demand for flights, making it challenging for airlines to fully meet the demand. However, UAE's airlines, among others, stepped in to fill the void left by Turkish Airlines.
In addition to suspending all trade with the occupation last month, Erdogan extended solidarity with Lebanon this week amid escalations with the Israeli occupation and urged other countries to follow Turkey's path.
"It seems that Israel has now turned its eyes on Lebanon after destroying and burning Gaza. We see Western countries giving Israel support behind the scenes," he stated during his address in a speech before parliament.
He further noted that Netanyahu's plans of expanding the war would be catastrophic while slamming Western countries' support for "Israel" as pitiful.
Alienated, 'Israel' grapples with deepening isolation: WP
As "Israel" continues its ruthless onslaught on Gaza, killing over 37,877 Palestinians and injuring 86,969, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his administration are increasingly finding themselves in a tight spot, according to an analysis by The Washington Post's columnist Ishaan Tharoor last month.
Within the occupation, dissatisfaction is rising as hundreds of Israeli settlers blocked traffic at the Amiad Junction in the Upper al-Jalil as part of the weekly anti-government demonstrations held across the occupation entity, Israeli media reported on Saturday.
The Times of Israel highlighted that the turnout at Amiad Junction on Route 90 was notably high, following a march from the kibbutz, which has recently been targeted multiple times by Hezbollah.
According to the outlet, protesters are carrying banners denouncing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, with one sign accusing them of "abandoning the north, south, and everything in between."
This comes as tens of thousands of Israelis have been evacuated from settlements in northern occupied Palestine along the border with Lebanon under Hezbollah's fire. Since October 8, the Lebanese Resistance group has been carrying out operations against Israeli military targets in support of Gaza, linking halting its attacks to the end of the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza.
