Lighters spotted in Beirut's Airport bore the logo of
James Richardson, the company that has operated the principal duty free license
at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel since the 1980s. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah)
Phoenicia-Aer Rianta Management Company (PAM), the operator of the
Beirut Duty Free at Beirut International Airport, seems to have imported goods
from an Israeli company.
The items in question are lighters. The operator put them on display in the duty free area, after removing all evidence that pointed to their Israeli origin, including Hebrew script on their packaging.
Earlier, when PAM’s management moved the items to its warehouses, the company told its employees that the script was Hindi rather than Hebrew.
Al-Akhbar tried to contact the company a couple of times, only to be
met with prevarication and empty promises to return our call.
This matter raises a number of questions: Is this the first time that Israeli
goods have entered Lebanon? Did the customs authorities, who are entrusted with
verifying the country of origin, do their job properly?
Indeed, a quick examination of the paperwork attached to the boxes reveals
that the primary destination was Tel Aviv-Milan. Upon the goods’ arrival in
Milan, another form was affixed over the Israeli one, stating that the items
were being shipped from Milan to Beirut.
According to these documents, 41 boxes were sent from Milan to Beirut, out of
70 that came out of Israel.
According to Ahmad Merhi, a lawyer who lobbies against economic normalization
with Israel, the value of these goods is not what’s important. Merhi stressed
that the danger of marketing Israeli goods in Lebanon did not lie in the enemy
achieving financial profits, as much as in promoting the acceptance of the idea
of having Israeli goods in Lebanon, in preparation for normalization.
It is worth noting that Lebanese law makes dealing with Israeli companies,
whether directly or otherwise, an offense punishable by imprisonment for three
to 10 years.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic
Edition.
The items in question are lighters. The operator put them on display in the duty free area, after removing all evidence that pointed to their Israeli origin, including Hebrew script on their packaging.
Earlier, when PAM’s management moved the items to its warehouses, the company told its employees that the script was Hindi rather than Hebrew.
The company’s claims notwithstanding, the writing on
the packaging was indeed Hebrew. In addition, the lighters bore the logo of
James Richardson, the company that has operated the principal duty free license
at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel since the 1980s.
In a report aired on Thursday, 7 February 2013, al-Mayadeen TV translated the
Hebrew text, revealing that the items were being sold at an airport in Negev,
Israel. So how did they make their way to PAM’s stores at the Beirut
airport?
Uprooted Palestinian
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