Delta removes ‘Occupied’ from Palestinian Territories on destination list

Delta Airlines removed the phrase “Occupied Palestinian Territories” from its list of Middle East destinations.

The destination “Palestinian Territories” remained Wednesday after the airline reportedly received e-mailed and tweeted complaints.

Links to the site were quickly spread Tuesday via Jewish bloggers. The list of Middle East destinations also appeared on the partner sites for Delta, including car rental companies. As of Wednesday afternoon, all appeared to have been changed.

There are no operational airports in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip.

Last summer Delta was embroiled in another controversy involving the Middle East after a Delta spokesperson suggested that because Saudi Arabian Airlines was joining the SkyTeam Alliance, Delta might have to refuse boarding to passengers with Israel stamps on their passports. The Saudi government requires that travelers disclose their religion, and American Jews and others with Israeli stamps in their passports have been refused visas to the country.

At the time, the Delta spokesperson said that the airline “must comply with all applicable laws in every country it serves” because it would face fines if a passenger arrives at a destination without proper documents.