'It Wasn't Meant to Be Mean': Israeli Tourists Spark Outrage for Pushing Sri Lankan Worker Off a Boat

A video viewed more than one million times shows a Sri Lankan boat guide being pushed into the water by an Israeli tourist as others laugh, sparking widespread criticism on social media. The footage, which had spread across platforms by Sunday, 8 November 2026, prompted anger over the tourists' behaviour and their insistence that the incident was only a joke.

The controversy intensified after the tourists reportedly defended their actions, saying the guide had taken part willingly and was unharmed. Their explanation, shared by Israeli journalist Daniel Amram, drew further scrutiny, particularly after the group referred to their impending military enlistment.

Israeli Tourists Face Backlash Over Viral Boat Video

The footage shows a group of tourists aboard a boat in Sri Lanka, with a local guide sitting near the vessel's edge. The guide is drinking when one of the tourists pushes him overboard while he and his companions laugh.

The video offers no clear explanation of what happened immediately beforehand. Nor does it establish whether the guide agreed to participate in any prank.

The clip has attracted more than one million views as of this writing.

Online reaction was swift. Many viewers criticised what they considered the humiliating treatment of someone simply doing his job.

'The entitlement is off the roof!' wrote one X user, who accused the tourists of behaving as though they were above others.

Another commenter questioned the group's explanation, writing, 'Always the same stupid answers: "It was a joke."'

A third user called for the tourists to be arrested, arguing that Sri Lankan workers already faced enough difficulties without such treatment.

The criticism also raised broader questions about the power imbalance between holidaymakers and local workers whose livelihoods depend on tourism. However, much of the online backlash was directed at Israelis more broadly.

'Israelis are vile creatures, mostly,' one commenter wrote. Another added: 'Zionists are disgusting creatures. They believe they are above all of us. They display this behaviour wherever they go.'

Social Media Backlash Targets Tourists and Israelis

As the footage spread, the tourists reportedly offered their version of events through Daniel Amram, who shared their response on social media.

According to Amram, the young people maintained that the incident was a joke involving the guide himself. They insisted that he had not been injured and denied intending to embarrass or mistreat him.

The group also complained about the intensity of the online backlash.

'We're enlisting in a month. We're good kids; we don't deserve this hate,' they reportedly said.

Their reference to upcoming military service became another point of contention, with some commenters questioning its relevance to the incident.

But the tourists' account leaves an important question unanswered: Did the guide actually consent to being pushed into the water?

No independently verified statement from the guide has emerged in the reporting reviewed. His identity, the precise location and date of the incident, and whether authorities have investigated remain unconfirmed.

The tourists maintain that nobody was harmed. Without the guide's own account, however, their explanation remains an assertion rather than an independently established account of what happened.