Sydney, Mar 04  : Etihad airways' official travel-route map reportedly shows surrounding countries appropriately, but has no sign of Israel on it.

Etihad, owned by the United Arab Emirates, shows countries including Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Cyprus, but not the Jewish state or its major cities.

According to news. com. au, the carrier, which partners with Virgin Australia, has also refused to transport any Israelis, who aren't allowed in the UAE.

In 2010, the carrier even began teaching its flight agents how to identify Israeli travellers by their "accents and traits."

A Jewish travel expert from New York, Justin Ross Lee, expressed angst and said that he wouldn't support an airline that discriminates.

Lee said that as a frequent flyer who holds both US and Israeli passports, he would sooner donate his miles to Hezbollah than travel on Etihad Airways, referring to the terror group. (ANI)