A recent confrontation at a cafe in Koh Phangan, Thailand, has generated significant backlash throughout Thailand after video footage capturing a young Israeli woman refusing to remove her shoes circulated widely across the country's social media platforms. The brief 15-second clip, first published on the Koh Phangan Conscious Community Facebook page, depicts the Israeli visitor responding combatively when requested to remove her footwear before entering a cafe – a widely observed cultural tradition in Thailand. During the recorded exchange, the woman argues with individuals filming her and exclaims: "My money built your country" – a statement many viewers interpreted as disrespectful.
Public reaction online developed rapidly. Numerous social media users criticized the Israeli tourist, perceiving her comment as the latest instance of growing frustration regarding disruptive behavior by visitors in Thailand, particularly those from Israel. The incident has drawn attention to previous controversies involving Israeli tourists' behavior in the country that prompted the Israeli embassy to issue public appeals for adherence to Thai regulations and customs.
🇹🇭An Israeli tourist in Thailand refusing to follow local customs after being politely asked to remove her shoes at a restaurant entrance. Instead, she replied, "MY MONEY BUILDS YOUR COUNTRY." pic.twitter.com/aItzCTqdU6
— The Resonance (@Partisan_12) May 5, 2025
The Israeli tourist has subsequently offered her perspective. According to the Israeli news site Mako, she insisted the video lacked proper context and suggested her critics were influenced by anti-Israeli sentiment: "Hey, I'm the girl filmed in the video," she wrote on Instagram. "First, I want to clarify that the statement made was taken out of context. I intended that Israeli tourism contributes to the Thai economy. I experienced physical and verbal violence directed out of anger toward all Israelis traveling in Thailand. The photographer is not an employee at the restaurant, but a guest at the cafe. I received permission to enter wearing shoes because I had injured my foot. The photographer and her friend behaved violently toward me despite the fact that I left the cafe to avoid the situation forced upon me. The video is distorted and does not show the violent incident that happened to me."
Her account received support from another Israeli traveler named Shahar, who witnessed the incident while at the cafe. According to her, tensions escalated after two Thai women seated nearby confronted the Israeli visitors regarding their failure to remove their shoes. "The Israelis responded with a chuckle to the request, and consequently the Thais became really angry and started shouting that 'Israelis are guests in this country,' and that we never respect the place we're at," the Israeli traveler said.
She further accounted that as the Thai women completed their meal and were departing the restaurant, they deliberately approached the Israelis' table: "The Thais were 'looking' to continue the fight. They shouted at them, and then took out a camera and filmed the moment when the Israeli said the statement that was recorded and spread online. Afterward, one of the Thais broke a coffee cup on her and dragged her by the hair to the floor." The traveler emphasized that throughout the heated encounter, none of the Israeli women responded with physical aggression despite the alleged violence directed toward them.
The cafe involved has yet to release any official comment regarding the incident, and no verification exists indicating authorities have examined the described physical altercation.
