Pro-Palestinian mob traps 1,500 Israelis aboard cruise ship

An Israeli cruise ship was forced to reroute after pro-Palestinian protesters swarmed the port of Syros, Greece.

By World Israel News Staff

A pro-Palestinian mob descended on the port of Syros, Greece, preventing a cruise ship that had departed from Israel from docking and effectively trapping some 1,500 Israeli passengers aboard.

The Crown Iris, operated by Israeli cruise line Mano Maritime, had a scheduled stop at the small port on Tuesday afternoon.

However, the ship did not dock, nor did the captain allow passengers to disembark, after a large group of protesters gathered at the harbor chanting anti-Israel slogans.

“There are about 200 protesters at the port entrance with Palestinian flags,” Daniella, a passenger on the ship identified only by her first name, told Hebrew-language outlet Ynet.

“They won’t let us off the ship… they knew we were coming and waited for us,” she added.

Videos showing Israeli passengers responding to the protest by singing and waving Israeli flags circulated on social media.

Daniella told the outlet that all of the passengers “are in good spirits.”

The protest was reportedly organized by left-wing Greek locals, who said the demonstration was intended to “raise their fists in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.”

According to Channel 12 News, the activists wrote on social media that “it is unacceptable that tourists from Israel continue to be welcomed here while the Palestinians are suffering in the Strip.”

After waiting for about two hours while Greek police failed to disperse the demonstration, the ship changed its route.

The Crown Iris is now headed to the next port on its itinerary, which was reportedly on the nearby island nation of Cyprus.

Speaking to Mako, a passenger bemoaned the decision to skip the stop in Syros.

“There is a matter of precedent here. The demonstrators actually won,” they said.

“The protesters got what they wanted — preventing Israelis from reaching their island.”