‘No Israel’: Thai businesses protest misconduct, unlicensed ventures by Israeli visitors

Tensions are rising on Thailand’s popular southern islands as locals express growing frustration over insulting and controversial behavior as well as illicit business activities of Israeli tourists, who have been visiting the country in markedly growing numbers.

Restaurant owners and business operators on Koh Phangan, one of Thailand’s most visited holiday destinations, have cited a surge in unruly conduct and unlicensed commercial ventures by Israeli visitors, Arab News, an English-language daily, reported on Sunday.

The discontented Thai nationals said the developments have fueled resentment among residents and strained local hospitality.

The report cited the owner of a Thai restaurant on the island as pointing to repeated incidents of disrespectful behavior from Israeli customers that prompted him to ban them altogether from his restaurant.

“After I asked one group of Israeli tourists to leave, I received more than 4,000 bad reviews — my restaurant’s rating dropped from 4.8 to 2.2 stars. It’s now been corrected, but that experience was really frustrating,” he said.

The restaurant now displays a sign reading “No Israel.” “I hate the repeated behavior I’ve encountered from many Israeli tourists — it happens so often that it led me to put up a ‘No Israel’ sign at my restaurant,” the owner of the restaurant said.

Videos shared on Thai social media in recent months have shown similar confrontations between locals and Israeli visitors.

In one viral case in May, a restaurant employee on Koh Phangan was heard telling an Israeli woman, “You’re not welcome here,” to which she replied, “My money builds your country.”

Beyond complaints of cultural disrespect, Thai business owners have also raised alarm over Israelis’ running unlicensed businesses on the islands, including restaurants, tour operations, and rental services, in violation of the Thai law.

A group of local business operators and residents recently submitted a petition signed by more than 200 people to the governor of Surat Thani Province in southern Thailand, urging authorities to curb “Israeli activities causing distress to local communities.”

Apiwat Sriwatcharaporn, assistant village chief in Koh Phangan, acknowledged the mounting concern. “If they just live or travel here, that’s fine,” he said. “But business operations should be done legally.”

According to Thailand’s Immigration Bureau, 2,627 Israeli settlers applied for visa extensions on Koh Phangan as of late September, making them the largest foreign group under investigation for potential illegal commercial activity.

A long-time local business owner also said tensions have intensified as the number of Israeli tourists has grown.

“They have very distinct characteristics as customers, like bargaining hard or being quite demanding,” he said.

“Before, they used to come alone, but now we see them arriving as families. That’s made the Israeli community on the island much larger, and it’s also intensified local frustration toward them.”

Observers have, meanwhile, noted that the influx has been raising more outrage since the launch of the Israeli regime’s war of genocide on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

Dr. Manoch Aree, a political science lecturer at Srinakharinwirot University, a public university in Bangkok, said since the onset of the genocide, Israelis have been especially favoring Thailand as a tourist destination.

He put the trend down to, what he called, the country’s traditional apolitical environment and previous absence of anti-Israeli sentiment.

The genocide has been ensued by an unprecedentedly rising global tide of condemnation as well as anti-Israeli rallies and acts of protest.

An Israeli trooper involved in the genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza was reportedly assaulted in Thailand last December.

The 22-year-old, who was identified as Ilay, was on a trip to the country when unidentified German tourists attacked him, Palestinian media outlets reported at the time.

Legal advocacy groups have filed an avalanche of lawsuits against the troops, demanding their detention and prosecution in their travel destinations.

Direct action groups have also been targeting overseas firms contributing to the Israeli military-industrial complex.

Dr. Aree said local Thais have come to complain about Israelis’ exploiting the country’s openness.

He noted reports of Israeli-run schools, so-called religious centers, and rehabilitation programs for troops operating privately and without transparency.

“This has led to fears among locals about why they are here and what they are doing,” he said. “The government’s intention to boost tourism has backfired, creating unintended negative consequences.”

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