Allegation of gender discrimination on United flight comes amid inflamed tensions over gender segregation in Israel

(JTA) — An Israeli reporter is claiming that she was the victim of discrimination by haredi Orthodox men on a recent United Airlines flight to Newark — and that the Israeli flight attendant had sided with the men over her.

Neria Kraus’ account ricocheted across the internet while her plane was in the air. Competing accounts of what transpired and soon emerged, with other passengers claiming the reporter’s gender was never an issue and arguing that she had jumped to a conclusion based on a man’s religious head covering.

What’s clear is that Kraus, a U.S. correspondent for the Israeli TV network...