Thai restaurant posts sign banning Israelis, sparking controversy

An incident described as humiliating against Israeli tourists on the Koh Phangan holiday island in Thailand has sparked controversy after a sign reading in English “No Israelis” (meaning “No entry for Israelis”) was placed at the entrance of a popular restaurant, prompting Israelis to accuse the restaurant owner of “anti-Semitism”.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, Israeli tourist “Itzik” said he arrived at the restaurant with friends after reading positive recommendations online, but was surprised at the entrance when a staff member pointed to a small sign that read “No entry for Israelis” before preventing him from sitting down.

He added: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. At first I thought I was imagining it. This is a racist act and cannot be interpreted any other way.”

The tourist said the restaurant owner justified the decision by saying that an Israeli group had previously dined there and only two of them paid for their meals, and that since then he had decided to ban all Israelis from entering.

Itzik said: “That’s a ridiculous justification; you cannot generalize one individual’s behavior to an entire people.”

The tourist posted the story on social media calling on Israelis to boycott the restaurant, saying: “It is important that we do not remain silent about racism. Today it’s a sign in one restaurant, and tomorrow it could spread to other places.”

Another Israeli tourist said she had a similar experience at the same restaurant, where her partner was asked to leave simply because he had not ordered food, despite empty seats, noting that she later discovered similar complaints from other Israelis who spoke of “hostile conduct” by the restaurant management.

The incident sparked widespread outrage among Israeli tourists, who visit the island in large numbers, with some calling the episode “unacceptable discrimination in 2025”, while Thai authorities have not issued an official comment on the incident so far.