A pair of Israeli tourists were forced to leave an antique store in the town of Thakkadi in Kerala, southern India, after Kashmiri merchants expelled them upon realizing they were from Israel.
The incident, which took place on Wednesday, quickly drew attention from nearby shop owners who intervened, pressuring the Kashmiri merchants to apologize to the Israeli couple.
(Coverage of incident in local media)
the tourists—a man and a woman—were initially invited into the store, but tensions arose after the shop owners discovered their nationality. When the couple refused to leave, a scuffle ensued at the store’s entrance,and the merchants turned off the lights, escalating the situation.
Humiliated, the tourists called their driver, who alerted the local tourist police. The nearby shop owners also intervened. As a result, the Kashmiri shop owners had to apologize to the couple.
The altercation, along with the merchants' eventual apology, was captured on video and circulated widely on social media, sparking significant backlash. Indian social media users condemned the incident as damaging to India’s reputation and criticized the merchants’ actions.
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Confrontation between Muslim merchants and Israeli tourists in Kerala, India
(Photo: Screengrab)
"The Kashmiri Islamic extremists carry their ideology wherever they go," one user wrote on X. "This is not acceptable in Kerala."
Police officials said they were aware of the incident, but no legal proceedings were initiated because the Israelis did not file a complaint.
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