Passport refused!

Israeli tourists aboard a Norwegian cruise ship were barred from disembarking in the Port of Tunis  on Sunday. They were forced to remain on the “Norwegian Jade”, while other passengers were allowed off.

A Jewish Canadian passenger on the ship who preferred to remain nameless told Haaretz (an English-speaking website  discussing Israel and the Middle East) that there were approximately 20 Israelis on the ship and that at first, no one knew they were denied entry because “the ship kept it a secret.” They only found out because some had become friendly with a few Israelis on board.

“We met with the captain twice and his story kept up that he was waiting for instructions from head office in Miami… We told him he was making a political statement by not allowing the Israelis to leave the ship and he said it was out of his hands. We reminded him that he was the captain,” the passenger said, adding that a “handful” of them decided to remain on board.

According to a report in Algemeiner (Israel News Provider), B’nai Brith Canada issued a statement criticizing the operator Norwegian Cruise Line for failing to notify passengers ahead of time that they were not welcome on Tunisian soil by the government.

B’nai Brith said in a statement quoted in the report that the cruise line is not only responsible for advising passengers of such a “discriminatory policy” in advance, but should try to avoid ports with such politics altogether.

The ship was docked in Tunis for the day and is already back at sea.

Why May I ask is it the Captains fault or indeed the cruise lines fault? A simple google search shows that anyone with an Israeli Passport or indeed an Israeli stamp is not welcome in this part of the world. As a matter of fact there are several countries that as an Israeli or if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport you will not be allowed to enter.

I am not going to get into a dispute of whether this is right or wrong as to be honest I don’t understand the history of the Middle East at all but what I will get into a dispute about is who is responsible? As a traveller you cannot expect a cruise line or a cruise agent to check each destination that you will be visiting. If you are not prepared to do this yourself then use one of the many Visa agencies that will readily do this for a fee.

It is your responsibility as a passenger to check that you have the right documentation before you travel.

I do feel sorry for these passengers but feel that their comments towards the Captain and Cruise Line were way out of order.

(The Cruise Line did pay out compensation to those passengers who could not go ashore).

Who do you think is responsible!

***PRESS RELEASE FROM NORWEGIANS CEO ON 11/03/14***

The government of Tunisia refused to allow Israeli nationals the right to disembark Norwegian Jade in the Port of La Goulette, Tunis on Sunday, March 9, 2014. In response to this discriminatory act, Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that it has cancelled all remaining calls to Tunisia and will not return.

“We want to send a strong message to Tunisia and ports around the world that we will not tolerate such random acts of discrimination against our guests,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s CEO. “We are outraged by this act and the fact that we were not notified in advance of this practice. We apologize sincerely to our guests who were affected and want them to know that we have taken the appropriate action in response.”