Passengers on an El Al flight from Tel Aviv to New York were subject to a rant against the government’s planned judicial reforms by their pilot during their flight today (Tuesday).
Captain Doron Ginzburg used the occasion of Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day to say over the aircraft’s intercom system, in English: “Reminding all of us that things like Holocaust are potentially to be occurring in a dictatorship, and we are fighting in Israel to remain a democratic country. Thank you all and have a nice flight.”

Transportation Minister Miri Regev condemned the pilot’s use of his position to deliver a political message to his passengers on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“Time after time the pilots behave as if they run the country. This situation cannot continue, something bad is happening there and after the minister spoke with the company”s management, she expects the company to act accordingly and respect being the national carrier. Maybe the flight paths are clear, but apparently the direction of the company is becoming lost,” Regev said.

El Al released a statement apologizing for the incident, saying: “The El Al company condemns political statements of any kind, by any of its employees as part of their work, and especially on its planes, which cannot be a platform for this type of activity. The company orders its employees to avoid this, especially on such a sensitive and significant day for the people of Israel. This exceptional case, which does not reflect the people and values of the company, will be thoroughly examined by the company’s senior officials.”
“El Al is the airline that carries the Israeli flag on the tail of its planes, and as such reflects the entire mosaic of Israel.”
Ginzburg apologized for his comments after it became clear that he faced suspension or termination from the airline for his actions, saying that he did not “mean to cause any offense.”