French film director Claude Lanzmann has angrily denied allegations of sexually harassing a female Israeli security guard, after he was questioned by police at Ben Gurion airport.
Israeli daily Haaretz reported that he was interrogated by police on Tuesday on his way to board a flight to France, after the guard complained that Lanzmann hugged and kissed her against her will.
Lanzmann, who is Jewish and the director of the 1985 Holocaust film "Shoah," said that the "moron from security" searched his party's luggage three times and kept them under observation until they had checked in.
"(Then) I put my finger under her chin and said ironically to my assistants, 'look how charming she is,'" Lanzmann told AFP, denying that he had done anything else.
"She complained to her superior, who rushed at me, ripped my passport from my hands and called the police," he said.
After interrogation "they brought me to the plane which had been waiting for more than 90 minutes," Lanzmann added.
Israeli police refused to comment on the incident to AFP.
"Judging by the behaviour of the security girls at Ben Gurion, Israel is a mixture of Kabul, Tehran and specialists in US gender studies," Lanzmann said.
Lanzmann, who often visits Israel, is best known for his film "Shoah," which documents the extermination of six million European Jews in the Nazi Holocaust. He has directed several films about Israel.
Security is tight at Ben Gurion airport, which has suffered deadly militant attacks in the past. Passengers are advised to allow at least three hours for checks.