Thailand Presses Israeli Ambassador Over Badly Behaved Tourists

[u/bloomberg]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-08/thailand-presses-israeli-ambassador-over-badly-behaved-tourists?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4ODg1Mjg5MCwiZXhwIjoxNzg5NDU3NjkwLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUTDEyM1ZLSkg2VjQwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIxMTJGOEY3MUY4Mzk0NTJBOEE1N0E1M0M2MTA1QkY0QSJ9.THwZxCIiQGNIOo69XAQiV84iHsXSoN6zTaOT42bbuXs

[u/StatementOwn4896]

I’ve been seeing more and more of these headlines. In the past Argentinians were saying the same thing and I found that pretty perplexing

[u/Sir-Spork → u/StatementOwn4896]

I remember talking to some of my friends who had worked in the service industry about this over 20 years ago, they absolutely hated dealing with Israelis. Said Israelis were consistently extremely rude and racist.

[u/shatnersbassoon123 → u/Sir-Spork]

I was backpacking in 2010 and recall places that barred Israelis back then too. I’m pretty sure it’s typically to do with their conscription coming to an end and finally having some freedom to party and get fucked up but typically just take it way too far.

[u/krazybanana → u/StatementOwn4896]

Tourista from so many countries misbehave on occasion. I think its pretty obvious why this particular case is being highlighted in an article like this.

[u/actirasty1 → u/krazybanana]

Well, israelis are probably the only tourists travelling in large groups without an organized tour

[u/MagnificoReattore]

Is this common? I was in Cyprus, talking to a bartender in my hotel, and he told me they had just a group of tourists from there and they were incredibly rude and demanding, and it was not the first time. It's probably just an anecdote, though, definitely wrong to generalize. 

[u/bloomberg]

From Bloomberg News reporter Patpicha Tanakasempipat

Thailand urged Israel to ensure its citizens respect local laws and customs after a series of incidents involving Israeli visitors fueled tensions in some of the Southeast Asian nation’s most popular tourist destinations.

Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said he had a "frank discussion" with Israeli Ambassador Alona Fisher-Kamm on Tuesday about concerns involving some Israeli nationals. They included entrepreneurs suspected of using Thai nominees to circumvent foreign-ownership restrictions, and tourists who have caused friction with local communities of Koh Phangan, Koh Samui and Phuket.

🎁 Gift link: Read the full story here.

[u/Away_team42 → u/bloomberg]

I love how the Israelis get called out loudly but the Russians continue wreaking havoc without a shout out.

[u/thunder_crane → u/Away_team42]

Phuket was horribly impacted by Russians. Occasionally it seemed like there were actually more Russians than Thai around us. Everything there is also specifically translated in English as well as Russian.

[u/Corsair111]

About time. But TH gotta do more for these tourists to toe the line.
SEA nations pretty much put Israeli tourists up there with the Russians and Chinese now.
If you've lived there, you'd know why.

[u/Fritzkreig]

One should not paint a people with a broad brush, but after backpacking and trekking in South America; well a lot of soldiers getting off conscripted military service take holiday, and as I once was in a similar situation they can get rowdy.

This is not relegated to any nationality, I have seen US military get pretty crazy on leave in plenty of places; I was honestly one of them.

I would honestly be surprised if the USS Abraham Lincoln stop in Thailand did not also foster the same such animosity‽

[u/kingsing1 → u/Fritzkreig]

It could just be the numbers. When I was in Thailand it was really noticeable that Israelis were one of the largest tourist demographics on the smaller islands.

[u/WarbossPepe → u/kingsing1]

Must be nice for them to get to travel so much 

[u/SluggoRuns → u/Fritzkreig]

You didn’t read the article:

“concerns involving some Israeli nationals... included entrepreneurs suspected of using Thai nominees to circumvent foreign-ownership restrictions, and tourists who have caused friction with local communities of Koh Phangan, Koh Samui and Phuket.”

[u/medbud → u/Fritzkreig]

I think this article is about the literal compounds that israelis occupied in Thailand, where they ran illegal schools and discriminated against locals...they were illegal residents using loopholes to bypass the local laws.

I will admit, as per reddit protocol, I did not actually read the linked article, but I've seen plenty of reports on Thai news from the last month or two.

I have seen lots of idf conscripts on break in nepal, bumming around, but they mostly just want to smoke and drop out for a while...

[u/Fritzkreig → u/medbud]

I will admit, as per reddit protocol, I did not actually read the linked article

Very true, this is the first I heard of that activity and that is shitty anywhere!

In South America I was really surprised at all the Israeli backpackers there, and in large groups they can get rowdy; but that is everybody. Most were chill and I made muddies I still am in contact with.

I just assumed that it was a bad tourist situation.

[u/JupiterandMars1 → u/Fritzkreig]

Rightly or wrongly this is a well known thing in Thailand for over a decade. Israeli tourists have the worst rep there. I’m not sure it’s comparable to the USS Abraham Lincoln stopping there for a short while.

[u/BNB_Laser_Cleaning → u/Fritzkreig]

Aint shit todo with military, they are just being sketchy people imposing their home grown problems on thailand, just like they do everywhere else

[u/dizzguzztn]

I dont understand why countries arent limiting their visas anyway

[u/-drunkmoses-]

Israeli here. This is what we call “the ugly Israeli” where Israelis, mostly the less educated ones, go abroad and misbehave in another country. This sometimes comes from applying the same cultural sensitivity they have here (none) but somewhere else. Obviously it’s not all of us, but enough to be noticed. 

[u/willbekins → u/-drunkmoses-]

American here. We are VERY familiar with this concept.

[u/owl523]

I worked in tourism in late 00s after the Israeli Lebanese war with a young Israeli, not long out of the mandatory army service. He had some friends of similar age visit. They were all pretty fucked up by their service and the things they saw and had to do, and getting a release in partying. Can only imagine that a new generation of Israelis taught to dehumanize another set of people, put in a place where they are hated, and encouraged to war crime, would come out messed up and ready to be terrible travelers and tourists.

[u/Not_a_N_Korean_Spy]

A culture of racism, impunity and  entitledness will do that to you.

[u/DinglebearTheGreat]

Are they also asking about poorly behaved Americans or Canadians ?

[u/thrway-fatpos → u/DinglebearTheGreat]

Speaking as a Canadian who has travelled quite a bit, from my experience people in foreign countries pretty unanimously liked Canadians. I'm sure there's some entitled assholes out there as goes with anyone with Global North privilege, but as a whole we have a very good reputation abroad.