EDITORIAL - Ordinary lawbreakers

There is another incident of tourists misbehaving. This time it involves two Israelis who allegedly attacked an establishment in Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte, well known all over the world for its surfing venues.

According to a report, the two Israelis allegedly threw rocks at the establishment and broke its security camera last Sunday after seeing a Palestinian flag displayed outside.

It should be mentioned that compared to other nationalities, Israelis are less known to make trouble. So it’s obvious that the attack stemmed from the establishment’s showing of the Palestinian flag.

We think we understand why those two felt that way. Last October 7, 2023, Hamas carried out a terror attack in different parts of Israel that killed around 1,200 people and saw around 250 others taken hostage. This has spiraled into a war between Israel and Hamas that has seen even more death and destruction.

We have written much about this incident, condemning the actions of Hamas. However, we also think that the feelings of those two tourists are no justification for their actions.

Tourists should respect the views expressed by individuals in their host country, even if it runs counter to their own.

It must also be mentioned that while Hamas carried out the terror attack and that indeed Hamas is made up mostly of Palestinians, not all Palestinians were involved in or condoned that attack. The owner of the establishment may have just been commiserating with the Palestinian people --and not necessarily with Hamas-- who are suffering as a result of Hamas’ actions and Israel’s overreach.

Even if they just targeted that one particular establishment, those two were essentially showing disrespect to their host country and must be made to answer for their actions. Even Israeli Ambassador Dana Kursh didn’t defend her countrymen’s actions, and urged the government to enforce Philippine laws on misbehaving Israeli tourists in the country.

While we welcome tourists to our islands, we should make examples of foreign nationals who think they can just come here and make fun of us, create trouble, commit vandalism or other crimes just like ordinary lawbreakers.