Thailand has long been a favorite destination for Israelis, and relations between the two countries have traditionally been positive. In recent months, however, anti-Israel discourse has intensified in the country, leading to protests against Israeli tourists and Chabad activities, particularly in Phuket and Bangkok. In an unusual move, the Thai citizenship of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, one of the leading Chabad emissaries in the country, was recently revoked for violating naturalization terms related to his dual citizenship. Against the backdrop of the growing campaign to delegitimize Israel since October 7, these developments raise the question of whether criticism of Israel is also expanding into opposition to the presence of Jewish institutions associated with it, even in a country such as Thailand.
As in the West, where Muslim minorities have taken part in protests, some members of Thailand’s Muslim community, which makes up about 5 percent of the population, have joined protests against Israelis and Chabad institutions over the war in Gaza. But unlike in the West, where protests against Israel are primarily tied to activism around the Palestinian issue, the protests in Thailand are more complex and reflect a combination of factors: criticism of the behavior of some Israeli tourists and businesspeople, the rise of nationalist sentiment following border disputes with Cambodia in 2025, and the impact of the war in Gaza on public opinion.
For example, two prominent demonstrations were held on September 10 and October 31, outside the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok and on the island of Phuket. They were led by nationalist activist Sondhi Limthongkul, one of the leaders of the "Yellow Shirts" movement in the 2000s. Demonstrators called for the visa exemption for Israelis to be shortened and for foreign businesses and organizations to be expelled from the country. The protests have nevertheless remained limited in scale. The largest, in Bangkok, drew only about 500 people. Most criticism has focused on tourist areas where tensions have arisen between Israelis and local residents, especially Pai in the north, Phuket, and the southern islands.
It is important to note that although these trends may point to the spread of anti-Israel discourse to distant arenas, the revocation of Rabbi Kantor’s citizenship does not prove that the Thai government has chosen to adopt an anti-Israel policy. Over the past year, the Thai government has also expelled tourists and businesspeople who were citizens of countries other than Israel after they operated shell companies, clashed with locals or other tourists, or engaged in criminal activity such as arms and drug trafficking. This policy also included shortening the visa exemption to 30 days for citizens of 59 additional countries, including the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. In light of all this, it is still too early to determine whether Thailand’s policy toward Israel has undergone a substantive change.
Thailand has long been a favorite destination for Israelis, and relations between the two countries have traditionally been positive. In recent months, however, anti-Israel discourse has intensified in the country, leading to protests against Israeli tourists and Chabad activities, particularly in Phuket and Bangkok. In an unusual move, the Thai citizenship of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, one of the leading Chabad emissaries in the country, was recently revoked for violating naturalization terms related to his dual citizenship. Against the backdrop of the growing campaign to delegitimize Israel since October 7, these developments raise the question of whether criticism of Israel is also expanding into opposition to the presence of Jewish institutions associated with it, even in a country such as Thailand.
As in the West, where Muslim minorities have taken part in protests, some members of Thailand’s Muslim community, which makes up about 5 percent of the population, have joined protests against Israelis and Chabad institutions over the war in Gaza. But unlike in the West, where protests against Israel are primarily tied to activism around the Palestinian issue, the protests in Thailand are more complex and reflect a combination of factors: criticism of the behavior of some Israeli tourists and businesspeople, the rise of nationalist sentiment following border disputes with Cambodia in 2025, and the impact of the war in Gaza on public opinion.
For example, two prominent demonstrations were held on September 10 and October 31, outside the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok and on the island of Phuket. They were led by nationalist activist Sondhi Limthongkul, one of the leaders of the "Yellow Shirts" movement in the 2000s. Demonstrators called for the visa exemption for Israelis to be shortened and for foreign businesses and organizations to be expelled from the country. The protests have nevertheless remained limited in scale. The largest, in Bangkok, drew only about 500 people. Most criticism has focused on tourist areas where tensions have arisen between Israelis and local residents, especially Pai in the north, Phuket, and the southern islands.
It is important to note that although these trends may point to the spread of anti-Israel discourse to distant arenas, the revocation of Rabbi Kantor’s citizenship does not prove that the Thai government has chosen to adopt an anti-Israel policy. Over the past year, the Thai government has also expelled tourists and businesspeople who were citizens of countries other than Israel after they operated shell companies, clashed with locals or other tourists, or engaged in criminal activity such as arms and drug trafficking. This policy also included shortening the visa exemption to 30 days for citizens of 59 additional countries, including the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. In light of all this, it is still too early to determine whether Thailand’s policy toward Israel has undergone a substantive change.