Delta Air Lines has issued a public apology for a perceived anti-Palestinian social media post.
Earlier this week, a post on X shared images of two Delta flight attendants wearing Palestinian flag pins.
The post, which incorrectly equated the Palestinian flag to the militant group Hamas’ flag, read: “Since 2001 we take our shoes off in every airport because a terrorist attack in US soil. Now imagine getting into a @Delta flight and seeing workers with Hamas badges in the air. What do you do?”
A since-deleted reply from Delta’s official account said: “I hear you as I’d be terrified as well, personally. Our employees reflect our culture and we do not take it lightly when our policy is not being followed.”
In a statement to The Washington Post on Thursday, Delta apologized for the incident and said it had taken action against the employee responsible for the airline’s post, noting that the comment “was not in line with our values and our mission.”
The employee responsible for the comment “has been counseled and no longer supports Delta’s social channels,” the airline added.
Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told The Post that the comment could make people think that the Palestinian flag is “an icon of a hate group.”
“What happened with Delta is just the latest example of anti-Palestinian racism,” Mitchell said. “And my hope is that this incident will begin to slowly, slowly move the needle in a different direction.”
Azka Mahmood, an executive director from the CAIR chapter in Georgia, said that equating the Palestinian flag with Hamas “erases the existence and legitimacy of the entirety of Palestine,” per CNN.
“The Palestinian flag represents a country and national aspirations of over 7 million Palestinians,” she said. “It is clear that some groups want to delegitimize the flag of Palestine entirely, suppress any expression of the existence of Palestine, and discourage open support for Palestinian rights.”
The CAIR said on X that it welcomed the apology from Delta and hoped that “it sends a message to those who continue to dehumanize the Palestinian people as they face genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced starvation imposed by the far-right Israeli government, and enabled by the Biden admin.”
We welcome this apology and hope it sends a message to those who continue to dehumanize the Palestinian people as they face genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced starvation imposed by the far-right Israeli government, and enabled by the Biden admin. https://t.co/0f51mpKCJ5
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) July 11, 2024
Following the incident, Delta announced that starting Monday, only US flag pins would be permitted to be worn on its uniforms, per The Post.
Some Delta employees pushing to unionize are now demanding a public apology from the airline’s leadership.
In an open letter to Delta CEO Ed Bastian, the group said: “Delta leadership must publicly apologize to the targeted crew members, confirm that pins representing the flags of different nations are allowed per policy.”
“Everyone should be able to freely express their pride and support for their heritage without encountering hostility or discrimination from employers or customers,” it continued.
Business Insider contacted Delta and CAIR for comment.
The flags
The Palestinian flag features a red triangle on the left side next to horizontal stripes of black, white, and green. It is based on the flag of the 1916 Arab Revolt.
The Hamas flag is solid green with white Arabic script in the center.
The current version of the Palestinian flag was adopted by the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964.
The flag has featured prominently in pro-Palestinian protests across the world, being used as a symbol of solidarity by people calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Israel launched an intense military campaign in the territory following Hamas’ October 7 attacks, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel.
More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in the resultant conflict so far, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
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