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The employee, identified as 24-year-old Ryan Smith, called himself a “Free Palestine activist.”
By Shula Rosen
A hotel employee at Oceanpoint Ranch in Cambria, California, resigned after filming and posting a confrontation with an Israeli couple during check-in in which he questioned them about Israel and military service, according to a statement issued by the hotel.
The incident reportedly took place Thursday at the resort, a spokesperson for the hotel confirmed to The New York Post.
According to captions posted alongside the video on Instagram and X, the confrontation began after a female guest, described as holding dual US-Israeli citizenship, challenged the employee after he said “Free Palestine” as the couple exited the lobby.
“All I said was free Palestine,” the employee said at the start of the video, which did not show the initial interaction between the parties.
The woman responded that the employee should remain “completely objective” toward hotel guests and that he “should be embarrassed of himself.”
During the exchange, the employee repeatedly questioned the couple, asking, “Are you a Zionist?” “Are you a baby killer?” and “Did you serve in the IDF?”
The male guest did not appear to respond directly and was heard speaking in Hebrew with the woman throughout the video.
A caption accompanying the footage referred to the man as “the satanic little p–sy sitting in the corner of shame” and described him as “just a dirty Zionist.”
Mossad Commentary identified the employee as 24-year-old Ryan Smith and reported that he was on active military service.
Oceanpoint Ranch General Manager Angel Gonzalez said the hotel launched an internal review following the incident and apologized to the guests.
“The conduct depicted in the video does not reflect the standards of professionalism, respect, and hospitality we strive to uphold. We take this matter seriously and have initiated an immediate internal review,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
The hotel said it had been “in direct contact with the guest to address their concerns” and added that the employee resigned.
A man claiming to be the employee later wrote on Instagram that he had been fired “for speaking up on the genocide and ethnic cleansing ongoing within the Middle East.”
Smith described himself online as a “Free Palestine activist.”
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