- Israeli Ambassador to Australia Naftali Tamir said this
week that Israel and Australia are white sisters in Asia and should work
together to improve ties with "the yellow race."
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- "Israel and Australia are like sisters in Asia,"
Tamir said in an interview with Haaretz during a visit to Israel this week.
"We are in Asia without the characteristics of Asians. We don't have
yellow skin and slanted eyes. Asia is basically the yellow race. Australia
and Israel are not - we are basically the white race. We are on the western
side of Asia and they are on the southeastern side."
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- "Israel has a past and present in Europe, but no
future. Israel is a part of Asia," he added.
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- Tamir said that due to what he characterized as the two
countries' racial similarities, Israel and Australia should work together
to enhance ties with other Asian countries.
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- "Israel has not fully acknowledged the value of
working together with Australia in Asia," Tamir said. "It's a
way for us to cooperate with and enhance our position in the countries
neighboring Australia."
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- In a meeting with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni this week,
Tamir emphasized the potential for developing trade and other links in
Asia via Australia and the "necessity" that she visit Australia.
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- "One shouldn't take for granted friendships anywhere
in the world," said Tamir, noting that "Australia is not lagging
behind the U.S." in its support of Israel. "[Livni] listened
very attentively and highly praised Australia," he said.
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- Tamir, however, said he did not raise the subject of
reopening the Israeli consulate in Sydney during the meeting. The consulate's
closure due to budget cuts some four years ago was fiercely protested by
Australia's Jewish community, which later offered to finance its operations
to keep it open.
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- "I am very much in support of reopening the consulate,"
Tamir told Haaretz. "But at the present time, due to budgetary limitations
- which are even greater than they were before - it's simply not feasible."
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- A career diplomat who served in Tokyo, Washington, Strasbourg
and as ambassador in Finland, Tamir is also Israel's non-resident ambassador
to Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Zealand, where Israel closed its embassy
in 2002, also for budgetary reasons.
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- Though in Australia since January 2005, Tamir was only
accredited in New Zealand a year ago, following the resumption of normal
diplomatic relations between the two countries after Israel extended a
formal apology for its role in the "passport affair." In 2004
two alleged Mossad agents were apprehended and jailed after attempting
to obtain a New Zealand passport by fraudulent means.
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- Late last year, then-foreign minister Silvan Shalom announced
that Israel would reopen its embassy in Wellington, but this has not yet
happened. While Tamir strongly advocates reopening the mission there, other
sources in the Foreign Ministry indicated that if New Zealand opened its
own embassy here, things on the Israeli side might speed up.
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- New Zealand, which currently conducts its diplomatic
contacts with Israel from its embassy in Turkey, has been frequently critical
of Israel in recent years, although some commentators note this was slightly
moderated during the recent war in Lebanon.
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- http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/774471.html
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