Europe16 August, 20262 min read
Israeli Tourists Target Palestinian-Owned Cafe in Keflavík, Iceland, After Palestine Map Display
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Israeli tourists harassed staff, threatened workers, and removed a framed Palestine map in Keflavík cafe. Cafe staff reported offensive language and an online Google Reviews campaign against the business.
Cafe map incident in Keflavík
In Keflavík, Iceland, Anadolu Ajansı reported that Israeli tourists targeted a Palestinian-owned cafe and “removes a picture featuring a map of Palestine and pro-Palestinian message.” Iceland Review described how Lava Sweets owner Farah Al-Qasem said four Israeli tourists threatened an employee and attempted to damage the premises after noticing a map of Palestine displayed on a wall.
Al-Qasem, who runs Lava Sweets on Hafnargata with her husband Diyaa Atatri, said the men entered shortly after the business opened with suitcases and focused on the map while speaking to one another in Hebrew. The Iceland Review account said the café reported the incident to police and provided video footage, and it quoted the display’s slogan as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Threats, reviews, and police
Iceland Review said Al-Qasem reported that one of the men approached an employee and accused the café of “encouraging genocide” and violence. The same account said the group then left, but one man allegedly attempted to pull the picture from the wall and made a threatening hand gesture towards the employee.
Iceland Review added that Al-Qasem said eight one-star Google reviews appeared shortly afterwards from people she believes had not visited the café, and she said the business’s rating fell from around 300 reviews to 4.8. Anadolu Ajansı also said the cafe told that tourists use offensive language and later launch an online campaign against the business through Google Reviews, while the Iceland Review account said CCTV footage was handed over to officers.
Diplomatic symbolism spreads to Europe
Elsewhere in Europe, a West Asian report said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan appeared before a map of historical Palestine during his meeting with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, with the map showing the area from the sea to the river without the name Israel. The same report said Israel saw the scene as a political message and accused Fidan of threatening it, while Tel Aviv attacked Fidan and said his recent positions represent a threat to Israel.
Another West Asian account said the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched a sharp attack on Fidan after the map appeared behind him in Tripoli, describing it as “erases Israel completely.” That report also said the Israeli Foreign Ministry asserted that Turkey “can spare the trouble of giving lectures and issuing threats,” and it said Fidan’s visit to Tripoli and Benghazi was to discuss ways to strengthen Turkish-Libyan relations in politics, trade, military, defense, and energy.