A Poland-bound Israeli youth delegation was left stranded in Turkey on Monday after their plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Turkey.
The delegation of some 150 12th-grade pupils were forced to spend 24 hours in Antalya due to a possible engine malfunction, while the plane sent from Israel to take them on to Poland also suffered a technical issue upon arrival.
The students, from five schools in central Israel, Jerusalem, and the Western Galilee, are participating in an organised visit to Poland as part of Israel’s traditional youth trips to Europe to learn about the Holocaust.
In the wake of the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7 and rising concerns over antisemitism in Europe, these educational trips were halted in November. However, they were resumed last year following a review of security and logistical circumstances.
The mother of one student told Ynet on Monday that the mishap was a “disgrace”.
“The kids left for this trip last night at midnight and have been strewn on the floor exhausted since the morning with no idea what’s going on,” she said. “The kids waited for this trip, we paid NIS 8,000 [£1,678]… we’re very worried and anxious because they’re stuck in a country that hates Israel so much.”
The pupils were transferred by buses to a “secure and separate” terminal and did not leave the airport, according to the report.
Fortunately, Israel’s Education Minister Yoav Kisch confirmed today that a third plane had been sent and the pupils had since landed in Poland safely. He added that the Shin Bet provided security for the group during their unexpected layover.
Israel’s relations with Turkey, once a favoured tourist destination for Israelis, have in recent years deteriorated.
Indeed, on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly prayed for the destruction of the Jewish state.
During a speech following Eid al-Fitr prayers, he said: “May Allah, for the sake of his name ‘Al-Qahhar,’ destroy and devastate Zionist Israel. And may we all, witnessing what is happening there [in the Gaza Strip], stay united, strong and resilient as brothers; may Allah keep our unity everlasting.”
Al-Qahhar is one of the names of God in Islam and is often translated from Arabic as “The Conqueror,” “The Vanquisher,” or “The Subduer”.
The remarks led to a public spat between the Turkish and Israeli foreign ministries, with Israel’s Foreign Minister Giden Sa’ar labelling Erdogan a “dictator” who had “shown his antisemitic face”.
The comments were also condemned by the UK, a Nato ally of Turkey, with a Downing Street spokesperson telling the JC: “We would never support anything like that.”
