A French air traffic controller has reportedly been suspended after declaring "Free Palestine" while communicating with Israeli pilots operating an El Al aircraft.
The incident occurred on Monday shortly after the plane took off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, according to reports. A spokesperson for El Al told Fox News Digital that the airline viewed the incident "with utmost severity" and said the air traffic controller's comments were "unprofessional and inappropriate."
"EL AL will continue to fly proudly around the world with the Israeli flag on its aircraft, upholding professionalism and ensuring the safety and security of its passengers and crews," the airline said in a statement.
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French Transportation Minister Philippe Tabarot was quick to respond to the incident and called for an investigation.
"If the facts were confirmed, they would be reprehensible as they would violate the rules of radio communications, which must be limited to the safety and regularity of air traffic," Tabarot wrote in a post on X on Monday shortly after the incident was reported. He added that the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) was analyzing recordings of radio communications from the morning of the incident.
Tabarot later confirmed on X that the recordings matched what El Al reported and said that the air traffic controller was identified and barred from performing any duties "until further notice." The French official also said that disciplinary proceedings were initiated immediately. He further condemned the incident on Wednesday, saying that the transportation industry is not immune to "the rise of antisemitism and hateful behaviors that exploit the situation in the Middle East."
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The air traffic controller incident comes amid challenges for El Al in France, including the vandalizing of its Paris office and France’s temporary halt of the renewal of work visas for its security staff.
On Tuesday, a French government source reportedly confirmed to the Times of Israel that the renewal of work visas for El Al security staff members had been stopped. The decision was allegedly related to difficulties faced by French diplomatic staff in security screenings.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee reposted a report on the pause in visa renewals and said "what happened to France?"
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Earlier this month, El Al’s Paris offices were smeared with red paint as well as pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel graffiti. The words "Free Palestine" and "El Al Genocide Airline" were painted on the exterior of the offices. The Israeli Embassy in France shared photos of the incident, with Minister Plenipotentiary Asaf Moran decrying the "climate of violent and unrestrained incitement by certain French elected officials."
Following the vandalism incident, Israeli Ambassador to France Joshua Zarka visited El Al’s Paris offices and vowed that Israel’s government would stand by its people and Israeli businesses.
Israeli Transportation Secretary Miri Regev also commented on the incident, calling it a "barbaric and violent act." She seemed to blame French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently announced that France would recognize a Palestinian state. Regev also said Macron’s statement was a gift to Hamas.
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Tabarot quickly condemned this incident as well and said that "acts of hatred and antisemitism have no place in our republic."
Regev responded by thanking Tabarot for his "clear and unequivocal words against antisemitism."
"French citizens must understand, today it’s El Al, tomorrow it could be Air France. We must all act together to condemn antisemitism and hatred, everywhere in the world," Regev wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to Charles de Gaulle Airport and DGAC but did not receive responses in time for publication.
