Israeli plane forced to fly to Greece after Turkey refuses fuel following emergency landing
Incident comes amid rapid deterioration in the Turkish-Israeli relations
An Israeli El Al plane, originally departing from Warsaw, Poland, made an emergency landing in Antalya, Turkey, due to a passenger's health issue. Despite its need for fuel to continue its journey to Israel, Turkish airport authorities refused the request, forcing the plane to fly to Greece to refuel.
The incident, reported by Israeli media and confirmed by El Al on Sunday evening, has raised questions about the treatment of Israeli aircraft in Turkish airspace.
Israeli media reported that a local airport official responsible for refueling demanded written permission for the action. In addition, the passengers were reportedly not allowed to disembark and spent hours on the plane.
Diplomatic officials in Israel said they were in contact with Turkish officials, who reportedly did not object to providing fuel but apparently, a miscommunication continued to prevent it.
Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Irit Lilian was reportedly involved in the talks with senior Turkish officials.
In the end, the ill passenger was led off the plane and taken to a Turkish hospital while conscious and was accompanied by a consular official.
Turkish and Israeli authorities decided the aircraft would fly to a nearby airport on the Greek island of Rhodes, where it refueled before completing its trip.
“The flight crew was preparing for a renewed takeoff to Tel Aviv, but local workers refused to refuel the company’s plane, even though it was a medical case. The plane took off to Rhodes, where it will refuel before taking off to Israel,” El Al stated.
The incident comes amid a rapid deterioration in the Turkish-Israeli relations since last October, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed his support for Hamas and harshly criticized Israel’s leaders, even comparing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to World War II Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
In contrast to Erdoğan, Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel, who heads the Republican People’s Party (CHP), condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization during a TV interview last Saturday.
In May, Turkish officials announced the nation's intention to end all trade with Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz blasted the Turkish government’s decision, saying that Erdoğan had gone too far.
“Erdoğan crossed a line and blocked ports for Israeli exports and imports. This is how a dictator behaves – trampling on the interests of the Turkish people, businessmen and ignoring international trade agreements,” Katz said.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
