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Last update - 00:00 11/07/2002
Bezeq boycotts Air France over pilot's 'Palestine' comment
By Zohar Blumenkrantz, Ha'aretz Correspondent

Bezeq, the state-owned telecommunications monopoly, is boycotting Air France because of the "inappropriate statement" made by one of its pilots on a flight to Israel last weekend.

Passengers on the flight complained that upon arrival, the pilot announced that the plane was about to land "in Palestine."

Following the incident, a group of Israeli businessmen began circulating an e-mail letter calling for a consumer boycott on Air France. Bezeq has now become the first government company to respond to this call.

In a letter to Air France, Bezeq CEO Ilan Biran declared that the company's executives, workers and pensioners will no longer fly Air France unless either the story is disproved or the airline apologizes and dismisses the pilot.

Air France, in response to a formal complaint from the Transportation Ministry, promised to investigate the incident. However, Biran noted, it has so far not denied that the incident took place: It has merely dismissed the remark as the pilot's "personal opinion."

"This country is our home, it is the state of Israel and we are proud Zionists," Biran wrote.

In response to Biran's letter, the airline Thursday reiterated its promise to investigate the incident.

"Air France has expressed its regret for the pilot's announcement on the Air France flight on July 5," added company spokesman Odette Sofri. "His announcement was personal - the pilot's own opinion - and does not in any way reflect the company's position."

Air France passengers were also angered by another incident, in which a flight to Israel this past Wednesday was delayed for four hours because of unusually thorough security checks - including the use of sniffer dogs to check for explosives. The airline responded that company rules permit pilots to demand additional security checks
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