Etsy asks Israeli seller to remove Jewish, Israeli descriptions, later cites 'mistake' - report

Sara Attali, an Israeli designer who sells head scarfs on the online platform Etsy, was requested to remove any Jewish or Israeli descriptions from her products, Israel's public broadcaster KAN News reported on Sunday. 

Attali received the directive after she had inquired why two of the items she was attempting to sell had been removed.

Attali spoke to KAN of her mixed feelings regarding Etsy's message.

"I’ve been a long-time seller there and have never received hostile treatment. It seemed strange to me," said the Israeli designer. "I sell to the entire world and have many clients, and my best customer is Muslim."

Etsy says it is investigating incident

In response to an inquiry by the Israeli news outlet, Etsy stated there had been an error. 

"The assistance provided by the service representative did not align with our policy, and we are investigating the incident," Etsy stated. "We have reached out to the seller regarding the products in her store, which were mistakenly flagged by the systems we operate to ensure the safety and security of the marketplace."