Yossi Davidov, the well-known Israeli photographer booted off an Austrian Airlines flight to Tel Aviv for "unruly behavior" on Tuesday, gave his side of the story in an interview with Channel 2 published Sunday.
According to Davidov, the dispute over the weight of his camera equipment began when a Muslim flight attendant purposely singled him, as well as his three companions, out to bully.
"In this case, we fell into the hands of a Muslim flight attendant who decided to abuse us," Davidov asserted. "She told us that our bags were too big and that she could not fit them on the plane."
Davidov and his friends refused and boarded the plane despite the flight attendant's objections. She then called the police, leading to Davidov and his friend's arrest.
"I asked her 'why are you abusing us?' And she answered that she'd learned it from us [i.e. Israelis - ed.]. 'For years you've been doing it,' she said to me. After she said that, I couldn't control myself."
Although Davidov acknowledged his angry reaction, and apologized for it, he stressed, "it is advisable for everyone to know the real truth."
Davidov was eventually released and fined 100 euros, his lawyer, Aharon Leviev said.
In a statement last week, Leviev backed up his client's account, stating "there was a Muslim flight attendant with a headscarf, and it seems that she saw a necklace with a Jewish Star of David on his neck, and decided to get back at him."