The Greek authorities are continuing to place difficulties in the way of air travelers bound for Israel, subjecting them to conditions of extreme discomfort at the Athens airport, according to complaints of recent arrivals here. Israel-bound passengers, they charge, are kept virtual prisoners while their planes are on Greek territory and forced to remain in the craft or are confined to a small and dingy cafe on the airport.
In recent cases where the planes were grounded overnight at Athens; passengers were refused permission to sleep at a hotel, even under guard, and forced to remain in the plane. One recent arrival in Israel said that his plane–a French charter-line air transport–was forced to remain overnight and the airport authorities refused to permit the passengers to go to a hotel.
Maurice Bisgyer, national secretary of B’nai B’rith, who had a Greek visa, succeeded in visiting the Greek Foreign Ministry and interceded with the director of political affairs. Subsequently, an order came through permitting passengers over military age to leave the airport overnight. The passengers unanimously agreed not to leave any behind, and all 22 spent the night in the plane, among them Berl Locker, chairman of the Jewish Agency Executive at Jerusalem. The Greek attitude toward Israel-bound air traffic is believed to be dictated by a desire to please the Arab states.
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