German court rules Kuwait airline Is allowed to ban Israelis

A German court ruled Thursday that Kuwait Airways had the right to refuse to carry an Israeli passenger due to his nationality, a verdict that Jewish groups said condoned anti-Semitism. The Frankfurt state court said the airline was merely respecting the laws of Kuwait, a country that does not recognise the state of Israel, and said it was not up to a German court to rule on Kuwaiti law. Germany's anti-discrimination law applies only in cases of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic background or religion, not citizenship, it said. The Central Council of Jews in Germany said the Kuwaiti law was reminiscent of Nazi policies. Similar cases in Switzerland and the US were decided in the favour of the plaintiffs, it said. The lawyer for the plaintiff said he would appeal. <br/>