Schiphol Airport CEO on Monday called Israel's ambassador to The Netherlands Modi Ephraim, to apologize for the mistreatment of Israelis by airport security staff.
The incident occurred on Friday, when two Israeli women, one of them a freed hostage who was abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7 and held in Gaza for over 50 days, were subjected to humiliating shouts and abuse by the security officer.
According to a complaint filed by the woman who accompanied the freed hostage on an advocacy trip to the Netherland, the women were directed to the expedited security checkpoint by the local El Al station staffer during check-in.
Upon reaching the checkpoint, the Dutch officer, who was also the shift supervisor, looked through the former Israeli hostage’s passport and insisted they were not eligible for the fast-track lane.
Without arguing, the two moved to the regular line, but oddly, the officer called them back, saying they could use the fast track but warned the accompanying Israeli of a 350-euro fine if they were not entitled to use it. He then opened the barrier, asking them to proceed to the fast-track queue.
As they were about to go through their hand luggage screening, the same supervisor aggressively pulled them out of the line. He positioned them in front of dozens of waiting passengers, deliberately humiliating them by loudly accusing them of fraud and ordering their detention for further clarification. He also loudly identified them as Israelis, repeatedly mentioning "El Al," the Israeli flag carrier.
The Israeli companion informed the security worker she was contacting the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands and involving him. Initially skeptical, the security worker's demeanor changed once he realized she was indeed speaking with Ambassador Modi Ephraim. He quietly murmured that he made another call, and, going beyond the letter of law, the security team decided to release them, saying they would "settle the fraud account with El Al." Meanwhile, the ambassador contacted El Al's security officer, who quickly arrived to assist the Israelis.
With the help of El Al's security officer, the two Israelis filed complaints at Schiphol's border police. The companion, a dual national, filed the complaint as a Dutch citizen. Sources at the airport said that this was not the first time Israelis lodged complaints against the same worker for harassment and detainment due to their Israeli citizenship.
Following a report of the incident on Ynet, Schiphol's management issued a statement that the two women evidently felt they were treated inappropriately. "We regret it and apologize for it," the statement read.