An Israeli passenger and an American tourist clashed in Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) domestic departure area on August 6, after the American allegedly directed antisemitic insults at the Israeli, precipitating a physical altercation that was broken up by airport staff.
Noam Shimon Rosenberg, 37, an Israeli traveling to Cebu, responded physically after Kent Scott Lee, 54, an American also bound for Cebu, allegedly called him a "baby killer"—a Holocaust-era and contemporary antisemitic trope—and made statements invoking Hitler including "Too bad Hitler didn't finish the job", according to eyewitness accounts and video footage that circulated on social media. Lee reportedly also mocked Rosenberg's Jewish faith.
The confrontation escalated when Rosenberg kicked Lee's luggage. The two men ended up fighting on the floor of the terminal, with video showing the Israeli on top during the struggle. Airport staff and bystanders intervened to separate them.
After the altercation, Lee reportedly told bystanders that Rosenberg's physical response "proved my point" and demanded his arrest, using profanity and insulting language. Both men were detained by airport police. Philippine prosecutors have been referred the case, though as of publication no formal charges have been publicly announced.
