Israeli diplomat alleges humiliation at Auckland airport"An Israeli official has complained he was interrogated and humiliated for three hours at Auckland Airport."

Humiliated in the fact that he was asked some pretty normal customs (albeit dumb) questions: eg. "are you a drug dealer?" (has anyone, ever, answered yes to that question?)

He claims he was held for three hours, customs claims it was 1 hour 25 minutes. Either way, whoopdedoo, these things happen in customs. And this really gets my gander up...

"I have never met such a welcome in any place I have been, from Latin America to Siberia in Russia and everywhere."

He should try visiting his own country on a non-Israeli passport. My (elderly) in-laws, visiting Israel to do medical work in Gaza and Jersusalem, were held up in customs for half-a-day while their credentials were established. They had half of their medical supplies confiscated. There was nothing in the way of civility or politeness shown to them, they were given nowhere to lie down after their 30+ hour trip from New Zealand, and they were not allowed to make calls out while they were being held. My advice, people who live in glasshouses...etc...

Right wing blogger Tom Paine @ Silent Running sympathises with the Israelis on this one, though - for that viewpoint, go here.

He claims that ...

"Of course no New Zealand official would dare even think of stopping a Muslim, that would be insensitive and culturally offensive."

Does he know this? Or is it just an assumption? One suspects quite a few muslim visitors on 'interesting' looking passports get hauled up for a bit of chat by customs (Ahmed Zaoui, anyone?). Perhaps Tom is also forgetting the recent Israeli passport scandal, and the fact that the Israel government has yet to come up with any adequate explanation as to those particular Israeli citizen's actions in this country. Tom also writes...

Apparently the activities of the New Zealand Jewish community are so sinister that the Jewish Agency can't send out an emissary without being detained at the airport so Customs can paw through their address book as if the local Jews are part of some sort of international crime syndicate!

One could easily counter with the example of my in-laws. Let's try it...

Apparently the activities of the [Palestinian Hospitals] are so sinister that the [International Medical Organisation] can't send out [a Doctor and Nurse] without being detained at the airport so Customs can [confiscate and damage] their [equipment and records] as if the local [sick infant children] are part of some sort of international [terrorism] syndicate!

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