French Air Traffic Controller Suspended After Telling El Al Pilots “Free Palestine”
Transport minister says disciplinary action is underway after the politically charged message was broadcast over the radio to an Israeli flight departing Paris.
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France’s transport minister, Philippe Tabarot, announced Tuesday evening on X that an air traffic controller at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport has been suspended after telling El Al pilots “Free Palestine” over the radio. The incident occurred shortly after the Israeli flight took off from the French capital.
“A disciplinary procedure has been initiated, and the punishment must match the seriousness of the act,” Tabarot wrote. El Al said it viewed the episode as highly unprofessional and inappropriate, and that it is working with Israeli authorities in contact with their French counterparts.
The suspension comes amid growing diplomatic friction between Paris and Jerusalem over the war in Gaza. As reported earlier, French authorities have also stopped renewing work visas for El Al’s security staff in Paris, a move some sources attribute to anti-Israel motives, though a French diplomatic source framed it as retaliation for Israel’s security checks on French diplomats at the airport.