A Jordanian woman has gained fame in her country after refusing to receive a group of Israeli tourists at her restaurant in Aqaba, Jordan’s Red Sea resort bordering the Israeli city of Eilat. Several professional associations and rights organizations in Jordan praised the action taken by Salwa al-Barghouti when she decided to kick Israeli tourists out of her restaurant, according to the 'al-Arabiya' news website. “My position will never change, and I will never allow Israelis into my restaurant,” the woman was quoted by Arab media as saying. "Barghouti represents all the Jordanian people in their rejection of the Zionist state, said Maysara Malas, head of the Higher Executive Committee for Anti-Normalization. “Many Jordanians take similar actions, yet nobody knows about them because the media doesn’t know what they do,” he added.
“I heard customers entering the restaurants speak Hebrew,” she told the press. “I felt extremely angry and remembered all the crimes Israel is committing against Palestinians, so I asked them to leave.” Barghouti said she did not approve of the strong attention that was given to her action by the media. “I am against dealing with Zionists in any possible way and I see this as very normal.”
The Israeli tourists who were kicked out, Barghouti added, filed a complaint against her and she was summoned by state security. “They asked me to sign a document pledging not to mistreat tourists or kick them out of my restaurant again, but I refused.” Barghouti insisted on her stance and stressed that she will act in the same way if a similar situation takes places. “My position will never change and I will never allow Israelis into my restaurant,” she was quoted by 'al-Arabiya' as saying.
