Israelis offered free holiday

BORD FÁILTE has offered an all-expenses-paid holiday to nine Israelis who were refused accommodation in a four-star holiday home because of their government’s treatment of Palestinians.

The board contacted the Irish ambassador in Tel Aviv, Pat Hennessy, with the offer for Israeli journalist Arik Bender and eight others.

Mr Bender had been told by Brian O’Shea, of Killarney Lakeland Cottages, that bookings were not being accepted from Israeli citizens because of the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli government.

Bord Fáilte said the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv had taken up the matter, and Mr Hennessy was on his way to Jerusalem to meet Mr Bender. Bord Fáilte’s manager of customer communications services, John Rafferty, said he was very disappointed at the refusal, which, he said, was an isolated incident. “We’ve never experienced anything like it before. Our policy in Bord Fáilte and Tourism Ireland is to welcome visitors to the country. We want to extend the hand of friendship to people from all over the world,’’ he said.

Sandra McDonnell, of Crutch’s Hotel, Castlegregory, Co Kerry, announced a campaign to welcome Mr Bender to Ireland, saying she wanted to collect 100,000 postcards to send to him.

A Tel Aviv/Dublin air charter service has been operating for the past two years and 5,000 visitors come from Israel annually. Numbers are growing and internet inquiries doubled this year.

Mr Bender, a parliamentary correspondent with Maariv, the second-biggest daily newspaper in Israel, said he was considering the holiday offer. “I don’t yet know what will be the answer. There’s plenty of time for research, as the holidays are planned for next summer,’’ he said, indicating that he was also thinking of going to the English Lake District.

Mr Bender said he still upset about the affair.

“It has always been my dream to go to Ireland on holidays, to listen to Irish music and see places like the Cliffs of Moher and Connemara,’’ he said.

“I’ve never experienced this kind of refusal before and am just back from a vacation in Bavaria and Austria, where we were welcomed everywhere.

“I’m surprised at the reaction of Mr O’Shea. As someone involved in the tourism business, he should be more open to other people’s views. I think he should make a distinction between a person’s nationality and political problems,’’ Mr Bender said.

Irish equality legislation has a specific provision that covers refusal of accommodation on grounds of race.

Equality Authority chief executive Niall Crowley stressed each case would have to be looked at on its merits, but it would appear that Mr Bender had a case.

“If a person wishes to pursue it, it would be something worth looking at,’’ Mr Crowley said.

“We have had very few such cases, but we have anecdotal evidence of significant discrimination being experienced by refugees, especially in terms of rented accommodation.’’

Mr O’Shea said he was not anti-Jewish and his decision in the Bender case was based on political principle.

He said he had thought about the matter during the summer and had decided to take a stance. “I don’t agree with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and what he is doing to the Palestinians,’’ Mr O’Shea said.