Israeli mom, 3 young kids, verbally assaulted in Dubai airport: ‘I only wanted to harass them’

“We need to shame the Zionists and make it clear that they are not wanted here,” says Kuwaiti man who verbally attacked Israeli mother and children in Emirati airport.

By Adina Katz, World Israel News

An Israeli family was verbally harassed while waiting for a flight in Dubai’s airport by a Kuwaiti national who posted the video on social media platforms.

The man, identified as Walid Al-Matri, approached a family in the terminal while filming them on his cell phone. It’s unclear how he knew they were Israeli nationals.

“Free Palestine!’ Al-Matri is heard screaming at a mother and three children, who look to be under eight years old, as they sit quietly at the gate.

In broken English that is difficult to understand, Al-Matri rants that “this country is for Palestinian people, not for all.” It’s unclear if his statement is referring to Israel or the United Arab Emirates.

“God gave you… a chance …to be good, but you don’t take it,” he continues. “There is… not your country [sic].”

Al-Matri’s implication may have been that the State of Israel does not exist, but it is difficult to determine exactly what he meant due to his poor grammar and heavy accent.

Oddly, Al-Matri adds “thank you very much” before walking away and ending the video.

The children immediately appear startled by the presence of the strange man, who is shouting at them and filming them without their permission.

Professor Eddie Cohen, an Arab affairs expert, tweeted that it is against the law in the Emirates to film children without their parents’ permission, and urged the authorities to look into criminally charging Al-Matri.

Notably, the Israeli mother ignores the verbal onslaught, continuing to text on her phone and does not look at or engage with the man.

“I only wanted to harass them. I could not bear the presence of happy Israelis in the land of the Gulf states,” Al-Matri wrote on Twitter, after posting the video.

The clip immediately sparked backlash from Emiratis, including one who stressed that Al-Matri is not from the country.

“I hope this woman and her children know that not all Arabs are as extreme and wild as this insane Kuwaiti,” wrote an Emirati man.

Others called Al-Matri “dramatic and pathetic,” as well as an “impolite, empty, and petty man.”

Shortly after the video was posted, the Emirati Interior Ministry said it was investigating the incident.

In a later interview with an Arabic language media outlet, Al-Matri added that “we need to shame the Zionists and make it clear that they are not wanted here, even if these countries have normalized [relations with Israel.]”

Arab Gulf StatesDubaiIsraeli touristsKuwaitUnited Arab Emirates