Legacy carrier United Airlines has suspended one of its pilots for posting antisemitic and pro-Hamas content on social media, according to the New York Post.
The pilot, named as Ibrahim R. Mossallam, made a lengthy post on Facebook in October in which Mossallam referred to Palestinian militant group Hamas as “brave people” and claimed the October 7 attacks in southern Israel were not “unprovoked.”
“This is a resistance by a brave people who have endured decades of occupation, oppression, humiliation, apartheid and straight up murder. This was not an unprovoked attack, but a response to this past years attacks by the Zionist regime.”
Mossallam’s post caught the attention of social media users earlier this week after screenshots of his Facebook account were shared by Stop Antisemitism on X, formerly Twitter. Stop Antisemitism and other commenters condemned Mossallem’s comments, citing concerns for the safety of Jewish passengers and Mossallam’s support of a group designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in the United States.
In response to Stop Antisemitism’s post, social media user Russell Drew urged United Airlines to fire Mossallam, adding, “Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s an absolutely terrible idea for somebody who supports terrorism to be piloting an airplane.”
Vasishta Nagalla expressed similar concerns, replying, “Not only Jewish passengers, ALL passengers will feel unsafe travelling with him at 30,000 feet.”
In a statement shared with Simple Flying, United Airlines confirmed that Mossallam had been suspended with pay while it investigates the incident further.
In October, Air Canada found itself in the middle of a similar scandal after antisemitic Instagram posts made by Boeing 787 Dreamliner pilot Mostafa Ezzo were shared on X. In posts from his now-deleted Instagram account, First Officer Ezzo was pictured wearing Palestinian flags over his Air Canada pilot’s uniform and making profane comments about Israel.
Other concerning images showed a man alleged to be Ezzo at a pro-Palestine rally in Canada holding an antisemitic sign calling Israel a terrorist state, while another contains an illustration of a person throwing an Israeli flag in the bin, reading “keep the world clean.”
According to Air Canada, Ezzo was removed from service on October 9, noting that it firmly denounces all forms of violence. Ezzo was subsequently fired on October 11, as confirmed by Air Canada in a social media post.
In a statement shared with The Toronto Sun, a spokesperson for the airline clarified its decision, “We did this because this individual’s opinions and publications on social media do not represent Air Canada’s views in any way. This person has never been authorized to speak publicly while identifying themselves as an Air Canada employee.”
The Air Pilots Association of Canada (ALPA), a union representing some of Air Canada’s flight deck members, issued a similar statement condemning violence and hatred. The union reiterated its requirements for members to continue abiding by its code of ethics.
Sources: The New York Post, The Toronto Sun, Simple Flying
