One of the largest mobile carriers in Ukraine has been sending users a message welcoming them to "Palestine" when they land at Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport.
Anna Pozinsky, who lives in Israel, arrived in Ukraine for a visit and purchased a local SIM card for her device. Upon turning it on when her flight landed in Tel Aviv, Pozinsky was shocked to find a message in Ukrainian reading "Welcome to Palestine." The message made no reference to Israel.
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Pozinsky told Israel Hayom that the company responsible for the message, Kyivstar, is large and "well-known."
"When I boarded the plane, I turned off my device and didn't switch out the [Ukrainian] SIM card for an Israeli one. The next day, I turned on the device and saw the message," she said.
"First, I was surprised, and then I was furious. That's exactly like telling Ukrainians 'Welcome to Russia.' 200 people received that message. That is what is being drilled into their heads," Pozinsky said.
When asked if she thought the message was motivated by anti-Semitism, Posinsky said she believed it reflected "politics in general" in Ukraine.
"This is the first time I've seen something like this. They still don't know that this isn't Palestine? A year ago, the company was sold and that might have had some influence," she added.
Ilana Valdman Eshcol, director of organizational development for the right-wing Zionist organization Im Tirtzu, who was contacted about the incident, said that by sending such a message, "leading telecom companies in Ukraine were taking blatant steps to present an unacceptable political stance."
According to Valdman Eshcol, "We cannot describe what would have happened if Israel had sent a message to its citizens landing in Ukraine welcoming them to Russia. It would be appropriate for the Ukrainian ambassador to be summoned for clarification and take steps to rectify the situation.
"Israel is a leading independent, sovereign state. Im Tirtzu will take care to remind anyone who forgets," she said.
Kyivstar was unavailable for comment.
