Arab filmmaker wins film award, Israel airline security nabs it

Congratulations Sahera on winning this prestigious film award. Keep up the admirable work.

It's quite common when leaving through Ben Gurion airport to be questioned, stripped and have arbitrary personal items sent on later as 'lost luggage'. It's also common that when the items finally arrive they no longer work. The longest of my 5 so-called 'security' checks was 4.5 hours - and they all magically end minutes before the flight leaves. Sure it's plain to see that they're playing mind-games. Recognise it, embrace it and come out the other side smiling. It helps to pass the time and before travelling and only annoys them more!

The strip searching and the theft of the award took place AFTER she arrived in Israel, not before she got on the plane. Yes we here in the U.S. have to remove shoes, go through metal detectors and carry liquids in containers of 3 oz. or less. I often fly and have never been subject to the searches that Palestinians are subject to upon ARRIVING in Israel. Neither I nor anyone else I know who flies has ever been strip searched upon ARRIVING or DEPARTING an American airport. So don't try to compare the inspection of passengers in the US with the humiliation doled out to non-Jews arriving in Israel.

This blatant racism has got to stop. If Sahera Dirbas had been Jewish she never would have been treated like this. Israel should not wonder why so many in the world, including many Jews, are turning against Israel. You have brought it on yourself.

I am sure if you checked Israeli airport security logs you will find that Jews are detained and searched the most. My wife was stopped and searched, I have been questioned and taken off line being forced to recite every Jewish holiday known to man and where I was barmitzvah'd and about my sex life so I think its not discrimination but a policy they have whether they randomly select, profile or both. Ethiopians do make up much of the security and G-d bless them for doing such a dangerous, thankless job but the inconvenience is not as terrible as the fear that any moment a Muslim extremist might murder you or your family. Every time we take off our shoes to fly it is because a Muslim terrorist or we go through a metal detector and x-ray it is our freedoms taken away and any Arab has other Arabs to blame for the consequences of heightened suspicion this has caused.

I used ELAL this past fall and was searched and frisked like any other person going on the flight. It's proper security which has been stepped up after the muslims hijacked the plane that did 9/11. Let's not forget that in the US customs they sliced and diced a lulav and esrog (palm branch and citron) and which are JEWISH RELIGIOUS items.. could have been treated with some respect !! so don't tell me that the Israelis are racist!!!

Just read in today's Saturday Montreal Gazette newspaper that a Jamaican/ Montreal woman was strip searched and rectum probed for drugs. This woman was returning to Montreal after attending the funeral of an aunt that died in Jamaica. This was not the only instance of this kind of "security" behavior. It is an ongoing problem. It is too bad that we give border security officials so much power. But by the same token we want the security. It's a Catch 22 problem.

"Chaim - Jews given the same treatment?" Out of curiosity, how many Jews have hijacked planes or have blown themselves up in public Israeli venues? When the United States was interning Japanese during WWII, how many Caucasians did they intern? Is Israel supposed to be "politically correct" instead of focusing on who is really attacking it's people with more scrutiny?

Prior to 911, you would pretty much have to try in order to be denied a seat. Most of the time, you could lean out into to the aisle and see the pilots' windshield. Security procedures were a joke. In particular, nobody thought in terms of "Saudi Nationals" or global politics. We were asleep. Israel should be proud of its security, and the workers who keep her safe.

(Nov. 2009)South Africa deported an Israeli airline official last week following allegations that Israel?s secret police, the Shin Bet, had infiltrated Johannesburg international airport in an effort to gather information on South African citizens, particularly black and Muslim travelers. The move by the South African government followed an investigation by local TV showing an undercover reporter being illegally interrogated by an official with El Al, Israel?s national carrier, in a public area of Johannesburg?s O.R. Tambo airport.

"Israeli Jews are stripped searched more than anyone else and questioned." Do you mind to tell us where all this happens? A "Kahan" or a "Cohen" is obliged to tell the truth, not make it up!

I raise my hat for your brave and honest comment. Israel DOES NEED citizens who care for its future, and not for immediate fake benefits which serves imperialists of today, but definitely not future generations of both Israel and its neighbor/s

Lost luggage is the butt of jokes here in the States although, the problem is not as bad as it once was. After 9-11, and also the nut w/ explosives in his shoes, everyone is subjected to being 'searched' their shoes removes, certain toiletries being removed, etc. And you have the radical muslim terrorists to blame (or to thank). Personally, I'd rather be searched, have bags lost than to arrive DOA.

maybe they got on board easily because they were SAUDI NATIONALS!..and we know Saudi Arabia has a very 'special' relationship with the US, so America bombed and invaded Iraq and Afghanistan because they already have bases in Saudi Arabia...which really,really bothers the fundamentalists like Osama...who launched an attack on the USA because of that...

If not for pal terrorists, all airline passengers would be less hassled. Now, we have to remove our shoes, be subjected to closer scrutiny and extra time spent at the airports. Frankly, if it eliminates all terrorists, I say good, even w/ the inconveniences. Better to spend a little time for safety and arrive alive.

"Plastique or liquid explosives could have similarly inserted in any of those object" Ben read the article again, they sent those objects on the SAME flight..funny eh? then they disappeared.... Would that have happened to an Israeli award winning director? we both know the answer to that one, don't we Ben...

having to open the boot of your car before you go into the mall...and what is it? a button you click while an Ethiopian guard opens your boot then closes it for you? you don't even get out of the car! and you try to compare that to humiliating strip searches and hours of questioning, and of course it's ALL Islams fault! Israel never doe's anything wrong, right Chaim...

There is no excuse for stealing awards, security is needed on planes etc. This was classless, stupidy Airline security . Perhaps it was min wage security, inteligence of the security people was , not above par etc. She should sue the airline. ,get a good Jewish atorney, he will get results. (I am a jew surport the state of Israel, not racism. Gary Albert

She`s an arab. Land of intolerance it is. Thanks to Haaretz for stepping in , otherwise she would have probably never seen her stuff again

Security in the UK is worse than Israel - but it applies to everyone equally and the personnel conserned are friendly and aplogetic for the inconvenience. Jews are not submitted to the same treatment as Arabs in Ben Gourion, but Brits are treated the same as everyone else in the UK. When I first went to shop in Jerusalem I was warned about the 'frosty" attitude of the shop assistants in Israeli shops, and that the the customer certainly doesn't come first! Same in the airport.

I don't believe you! Those with East Jerusalem/Arab connections are searched in a different area and I have NEVER seen a Jew there. Neither have I ever seen a Jew being taken away from the line to be searched in this way.

How many terrorist attacks has Dubai suffered since 1948?

... filmmakers or businessmen. The easily boarded American planes because Americans are kinda slow on the uptake.

and search a single woman in less than 2 hours. This time period is unacceptable. While travelling to Dubai a month ago on business I was checked and strip searched but it took less than 30 minutes.Strangely while in Dubai I was surprised to see a Jewish Comedian Jon Lovitz from Saturday night live fame performing there. I wonder if the Dubai immigration and customs strip searched Jon because he is a Jew?

She gets compensated because she is an Arab???????????? Thousands if not millions of passengers who travel on planes,go through these same searches all over the world,and most people accept it as a given and don't ask to be compensated.Yet we get Arabs complaining about every little thing with their hands out for compensation.If the Muslims didn't blow up planes then there wouldn't be a need for these searches. Sahera Dibras is complaining about the wrong people.

As a young child, I was patted down by soldiers armed with automatic weapons, just to go into a movie theatre, you gibbering anti-Israeli clods. If it wasn't for the extremes Palestinian terrorists resort to, Israel wouldn't have such heightened security measures.

Look who is talking. A fellow with a german name calling a native of the land a "stranger". Absurd

To search for concealed objects in all orifices A tampon sized explosive could easily have been concealed They do full body searches at airports in all countries when the need arises Would you have wanted to take a chance if you were going to be on that flight???

I generally visit my (Jewish) friends in Israel about once every 5-6 years on average, but the last time I swore it would be my last. I was flying Sun D'Or, and was subjected to vigourous questioning, and was strip searched three times, once before entering the departure area, and twice before boarding (as the security person had supposedly forgotten to check "down there" adequately the first time). My hand-held luggage was taken off me for checking, with the advice that it would be returned before I boarded; it wasn't, and consequently I didn't have any of the things I needed for the flight (or was able to purchase duty free). I fail to understand what risk a 30-something Kiwi girl could pose to airline security that justifies such treatment!? The sad thing, as another passenger pointed out to me, is that no one seems to even care. Israel really is its own worst enemy at times.

Plastique or liquid explosives could have similarly inserted in any of those object In the states, items passing through checkpoints are scanned for contraband When the equipment on site can't do the job, items are held aside for further evaluation Let's say for the moment that one of those items was actually a concealed bomb, would YOU have wanted to take a chance on being on the plane? El Al is noted for it's security, NO plane has been hijacked or destroyed Live with it or take your chances elsewhere Those of you that don't believe in being cautious, make sure you don't get out of the way of the next car that's coming at you

For those of us that love Israel and the Jewish people this sort of behaviour and complete failure to properly make amends is IDIOTIC.

None of us can, this is simply going too far. Their is security checks and their is security checks this was just uncalled for.

and uncalled for, howlong would it take these bozos to find a bomb if there is one at all???From the moment they found nothing they should have just left her alone.

I would really like this to be made aware in Spain. I know that airports have a different jurisprudence, but as a Spanniard I find this procedure unacceptable. We must not allow this to happen in Spain again! Further, at some point not in any place!!

Do you not see or care how this abominable behavior looks to the world outside of your own country and perhaps your patron the US? Shame on those so called security authorities. G_d bless Amira Hass for exposing this crime

I salute you, Mark. I am reminded of the prominent role that Jewish Americans played in the civil rights momvement in the 1950s/1960s. You mentioned the need for a civil rights movement in Israel. The need for it is urgent. Sadly there are few who realize how serious the situation is. Many who have become disillusioned with Israel, emigrate. But who refuses to leave and instead joins the struggle of Palestinian Israelis for their civil rights?

I thought I was reading a South African paper from a few decades ago. Nope. Modern-day Israel, there you have it.

You are so wrong these things happen to Jews all the time. We have to go through security at the mall, missing our buses because of lines to get into the terminal, cafes, discos and yes airports! Think of all the hours world wide daily taken away our freedom due to Islamic terrorism and think who really takes away rights??? Israeli Jews are stripped searched more than anyone else and questioned. You think I do no have to answer their dumb questions and the reason this is because of Arab terrorist who have created the need for it. How does one know her statuette is not full of c4 when Arab terrorist have utilized pregnant women, ambulances, wheel chairs, donkey carts and everything imaginable! Thank you customs for protecting and us and please enjoy your free ticket to Europe which Jewish Israelis would never normally get but I guess when one has friends like Amira she can help you get free frequent flyer miles.

It is clearly racist for uppity Jews to prevent terrorists from trying to slaughter them. Two hours of an Arab person's time is FAR more valuble than protecting the lives of Jews, much in the same way that a dispute as to an Arab's land is more significant than the lives of Jews. Don't these Jews know their place?

Why is everything about racism and discrimination? Mistakes happen too. Not everything is premeditated. If I was delayed on entry to the USA would it be because I was white, Jewish, or Israeli. Or maybe I looked like someone on a watch list. Or maybe my name is the same as someone on a watchlist. Or maybe a mistake was made. Drop your conspiracy nonsense. When it comes to security it is always safer to err on the side of caution than take a risk that could cost many lives and cause much damage. Get real.

Israels security establishment has long since set the records for pettiness in their every day work.

this is standard procedure. it can happen on any flight to israel or also to the US. I want to remind the flying public that many people get used by terrorists for their murderous plans. Sometimes it is not the person but the luggage that can be dangerous. A prize that was awarded by a European-Muslilm organisation should be subject to search! I thank the brave security guards for theire great work and sacrifice for their fellow citizens and the flying public. Lets be happy about good security. 99.9% of the people who get searched are innocent. but you need these stringent methods in order to catch the 0.01 that might have bad plans.

I mustadnit that the last two times I flew in Ben Gurion the treatment was remarkably professional. In the past though , I was stripped searched , iterrogated and can relate to the frustration of the lady in this incident. It seems to me that there is no rhyme and reason but according to the whyms of the security authorities. No suspicion , no probable cause , no security alert . They just profile and do. It had left a very bad taste in my mouth . Security was not enhanced , Reputation of Israel as an undemocratic and racist was damaged....

I am grateful for the law which now forbids Palestinians to fly from Ben Gourion. and israel calls their country jewish state?

She could have stayed in Spain

... indeed, blatantly vindictive and disrespectful...

simply disgusting behaviour/ based on jealousy? / i don't travel israeli because of rude and intolerant staff / not to me - i'm isreali and jewish - so strangely enough i am 'automatically' kosher

In today's world strict security is an integral part of our lives, whether we live in Israel or anywhere else. However this incident went far beyond any security requirements and is quite unacceptable in a democratic society. I feel ashamed.

i have been several times "HARASHED" as you put it although i am jewish . I prefare that ,then to board an airplane where i don't feel secure.

It is horrendous to think that human beings can be so pompous as to strip-search an obviously innocent person for two hours. There is obviously no justification for a two hour search in an airport anyway. With modern security the required checks would be carried out in minutes. This was obviously another example of Israel's deliberate de-humanising of the Arab population. What it actually shows is that there are a plethora of people in Israel who are less than human. The comments here justifying the actions of the customs security only serve to further prove Israeli Racism is radical and extremist.

US citizen Lily Sussman took a vacation in Israel, to visit extended family there and see the sights ? all the usual tourist things. On the way in, though, the security forces got rather serious. Didn't know she wasn't Jewish - Security is Security - better that then the alternative

My first experience with El Al resulted in a refusal to board the flight. Result: Out of principal I don't fly ever in my life an Israeli airline. We should all do that, then the airline will feel it good.

Strip search, 2 hour interrogation, 'losing' her belongings..this stuff never happens to Jews, just Arabs and Goys who have the misfortune of living in Israel.

How many other stories like this don't make the news?

#5 'stranger' Every time I fly El Al (never by choice, only if it was arranged prior by my work), I get searched down to my underwear. EVERY TIME. And some people want you to believe that every airline in Ben Gurion has the same security... same security my tussik! And trust me, I'm not suspicious in the slightest. Young, American professional working in WEST jerusalem for a well-known cultural institution. But they get me every time!

I thought only Jews were brave enough to travel on Israeli airlines! Everyone else is aware of the horrendous security checks which are conducted by stone faced security officials. And as in this case, the checks take place not only in Israel but all over the world. I am grateful for the law which now forbids Palestinians to fly from Ben Gourion. The reception at the Jordanian airport in Amman is friendly and welcoming and takes less than half an hour.

Good one, #1! lol! Isn't Sun d'or a subsidiary of ElAl? This is not shocking at all. I'm not even an Arab, just a regular goy living in Israel for several years already, but I can completely relate to this story. It didn't take me long to figure out that Israeli airlines want to be GENTILE FREE. As far as I'm concerned they can have it. The things they can do for 'security reasons' are bizarre and nonsensical--even to someone who loves Israel and has lived here for a long time. The airlines should be obligated to disclose (even after the fact) their 'security reasons' in order to be held accountable. What they do is harassment, and nobody can touch them. In Ben Gurion (or also upon returning to Israel), it is the goyim who are the CHOSEN PEOPLE--chosen to be toyed with, frustrated, and in some cases humiliated.

No true Zionist can continue to ignore the racism that has become part and parcel of this country. This is the jim crow south. The strip search and seizure of the prize were nothing more than harassment and punishment for being outspoken and successful. We need a full blown civil rights movement here.

The examination took more than two hours.

This is news btw? Amira, next time El AL misplaces my luggage I will write you first! Thank you for being the guardians of flyers with misplaced articles.

yafe meod.

Now we all know which airlines should be avoided.

Why did they strip her?