Norwegian Cruise Line Writes Off Tunisia
JERUSALEM, Israel -- Norwegian Cruise Lines will no longer sail to Tunisia following the government's decision to disallow Israeli passengers to disembark on its soil.
The Islamist government informed the 20 Israeli passengers they were not welcome in Tunsia.
The cruise line condemned the decision, saying it would no longer include the country in its itineraries and had "cancelled all remaining calls to Tunisia and will not return."
"We want to send a strong message to Tunisia and ports around the world that we will not tolerate such random acts of discrimination against our guests," Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan said in a statement Tuesday, JTA reported, prompting praise from the Canadian branch of B'nai Brith, an international Jewish organization, as well as the Anti-Defamation League.
"Norwegian Cruise Line has made the right decision," Frank Dimant, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada, said. "The actions of the Tunisian government are shameful. We are extremely happy to see that the cruise line has shown its corporate responsibility by refusing to be a party to the discrimination of its customers."
ADL National Director Abraham Foxman also lauded the decision.
"We applaud the courageous and responsible decision of Norwegian Cruise Line in standing up to the discriminatory policy of the Tunisian government," Foxman said. "They have sent a clear message to Tunisia and other governments that discriminatory practices against Israelis and other nationals will have a negative impact on tourism."
