Israel's concession to Islam in airport

ISRAEL'S Ben-Gurion International airport is to build an Islamic prayer room as part of efforts to improve relations with Muslim travellers.

For years, Muslim travellers, including Israeli Arabs, have complained that Israel's main airport, with its stringent security checks and lack of Arabic signs, has treated them poorly, and even in a humiliating fashion.

Israeli Arabs make up about 20 per cent of the Jewish state's population of 7 million people.

Arabic is the country's second official language behind Hebrew, but when the new airport complex was opened in 2004, Israeli Arabs complained that there were no signs in Arabic, only English and Hebrew.

"[Ben-Gurion airport] is determined to strengthen ties with the Arab sector," Shmuel Hefetz, a spokesman said.