Israel clarified on Wednesday that India was not mentioned in foreign minister Avigdor Liberman’s conversation with United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.
India’s name was dragged into the controversy by the minister’s office, which gave a gist of the conversation he had with the UN chief on the foreign ministry official website.
“The reference to India in the statement on the discussion between foreign minister Liberman and UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon was inadvertent, and has been removed from the official MFA Internet site. Israel greatly values the friendship and strength of relations with India,’’ a foreign office spokesman said.
Angry at the world for condemning the raid on a flotilla by Israeli soldiers, Liberman pointed to what his country regarded as double standards of the international community in singling out Tel Aviv without waiting to find out the facts.
Liberman was reported to have told the UN chief that while the international community remained silent during the past month, when “500 people were killed in various incidents in Thailand, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and India,” Israel “was condemned for taking a clear defensive action”.
Placing India in the same league as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq came as a shock to the Indian establishment. The remark caused a flutter in South Block, with officials wondering why India was dragged into the controversy. Some felt that India’s strong statement soon after the incident irritated the embattled Israeli government.
But Israel acted quickly to correct the wrong impression from one of its new-found but staunchest friends in the region. Ambassador Mark Sofer made it clear that Israel stands with India in South Asia and it has the greatest respect for the country. He added that India cannot be bracketed with other nations mentioned by Liberman. He also said it was regretted that India’s name was dragged in inadvertently.
Later, Israeli embassy spokesman David Goldfarb dubbed it a “human mistake” and said, “India had nothing to do with all this.’’
