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Last update - 21:48 13/10/2006
Foreign Ministry slams envoy's comments about 'yellow race'
By Charlotte Halle, Haaretz Correspondent

The Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned remarks by the Israeli ambassador to Australia in which he told Haaretz that the two countries are white sisters amid "the yellow race" of Asia.

"If the article is accurate, this is a grave and unacceptable remark," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said it will not return to business as usual if an internal examination confirms that the ambassador, Naftali Tamir, in fact made the comments attributed to him.

Tamir said that due to what he characterized as the racial similarities between Israel and Australia, the two countries should work together to enhance ties with other Asian countries.
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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."

"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."

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.

"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.

"Israel has a past and present in Europe, but no future," said Tamir. "Israel is a part of Asia."

Tamir 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.

"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."

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.

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.

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.

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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  1.   Israel is not Australia 08:24  |  Fritz 13/10/06
  2.   Israel envoy to Australia: Let`s enhance ties with `yellow race` 08:37  |  Zev 13/10/06
  3.   A Jew peddling racial stereotypes 08:43  |  Clickfool 13/10/06
  4.   Doh! 08:46  |  DB 13/10/06
  5.   srael envoy to Australia: Let`s enhance ties with `yellow race` 08:50  |  Dahne Gelbart 13/10/06
  6.   Unbelievable! 09:03  |  Simon 13/10/06
  7.   Two points to make about this... 09:07  |  Johnboy 13/10/06
  8.   Troubling discourse 09:13  |  Amos 13/10/06
  9.   Tamir is no diplomat , fire him out from the FM 09:14  |  Joseph E . 13/10/06
  10.   shame 09:18  |  aviva 13/10/06
  11.   Israel envoy to Australia: Let`s enhance ties with `yellow race` 09:22  |  phil 13/10/06
  12.   Israel envoy to Australia 09:24  |  GD 13/10/06
  13.   Yellow? 09:28  |  Elan 13/10/06
  14.   Racism in the mind of the Israelis 09:31  |  Khaled 13/10/06
  15.   Racial similarities???"YELLOW RACE" 09:32  |  wally 13/10/06
  16.   Our idiot ambassador in Australia 09:36  |  Dr. Simon Barak 13/10/06
  17.   `yellow race`-God help us! 09:46  |  maurice 13/10/06
  18.   Yellow schmellow 09:46  |  Jason-M 13/10/06
  19.   yellow race ???? 09:50  |  ziggurat 13/10/06
  20.   #1 09:51  |  YMS 13/10/06
  21.   "Yellow Race" 09:52  |  Michael 13/10/06
  22.   "yellow skin and slanted eyes" Old style western imperialism. 09:53  |  Michael 13/10/06
  23.   this is a problem 09:58  |  Josh H 13/10/06
  24.   To Daphne Gelbart #1 10:00  |  Ari ben Yisrael 13/10/06
  25.   To FM Livni: please fire this insensitive racist! 10:01  |  Louis T. Sigel 13/10/06
  26.   Israels envoy to Australia 10:05  |  Michael roberts 13/10/06
  27.   Israel envoy to Australia: Let`s enhance ties with `yellow race` 10:08  |  Juan Solana 13/10/06
  28.   I AM A JEW -- I AM NOT A "WHITE" 10:10  |  Jay A Friedman 13/10/06
  29.   Apparently, Tamir is ignorant as well as insensitive! 10:13  |  Louis T. Sigel 13/10/06
  30.   God save us!!! 10:17  |  Maureen Ann 13/10/06
  31.   Racism 101 10:19  |  Rachal Corrie 13/10/06
  32.   Language 10:33  |  Leon 13/10/06
  33.   What an uncapable person, how embarassing 10:38  |  Hardy D. Stein 13/10/06
  34.   This man should be recalled 10:45  |  David 13/10/06
  35.   SOUNDS RACIST....AND ANYWAY, JEWS ARE ORIENTALS NOT WESTERNS 10:50  |  Messaoud 13/10/06
  36.   wow 10:50  |  mark 13/10/06
  37.   Yellow Race????????????? 10:52  |  suzanne 13/10/06
  38.   Here comes the PC brigade... 10:57  |  George 13/10/06
  39.   When your name is mud already 10:57  |  sh 13/10/06
  40.   Israeli racism 11:00  |  NEUTERED OBSERVER 13/10/06
  41.   Israel envoy to Australia: Let`s enhance ties with `yellow race` 11:15  |  Danny 13/10/06
  42.   Ignorance 11:19  |  Alex Kuo 13/10/06
  43.   19th century language 11:20  |  Shimon 13/10/06
  44.   Who are you people? 11:24  |  Phil Richardson 13/10/06
  45.   Fire him for his ignorance, insensitivity 11:28  |  Rick 13/10/06
  46.   Might be right, but pretty stupid and arrogant for saying so 11:28  |  Taylor 13/10/06
  47.   The Yellow Race 11:32  |  Mike 13/10/06
  48.   George 11:34  |  Ron 13/10/06
  49.   oy vey, you gotta be kidding me. 11:45  |  yonatan 13/10/06
  50.   Misquote or Stupidity? 11:55  |  Leon Blaustein 13/10/06
  51.   I take it Naftali Tamir is not sephardi 11:57  |  SD 13/10/06
  52.   stupidity or misquote continued 11:58  |  Leon Blaustein 13/10/06
  53.   Spitting into the Sky 12:01  |  AYA 13/10/06
  54.   chosen people, white sisters????? 12:10  |  Ali 13/10/06
  55.   is this a joke? 12:10  |  liat 13/10/06
  56.   yellow race 12:11  |  SP 13/10/06
  57.   Lessons from Nuremberg 12:24  |  Fairplay 13/10/06
  58.   Israels ambassador to Australia 12:25  |  Barry 13/10/06
  59.   Racist should be removed at once 12:28  |  Daveed 13/10/06
  60.   this guy is an idiot-- 12:45  |  robert 13/10/06
  61.   If you want a real lesson in racism, visit the Arab world 12:47  |  Dave 13/10/06
  62.   mr naphtaline 12:48  |  jean marie 13/10/06
  63.   And did you notice right down the bottom of the article.. 12:51  |  Johnboy 13/10/06
  64.   not to mention 13:05  |  Mo 13/10/06
  65.   If this is the case 13:09  |  Chris Linthwaite 13/10/06
  66.   # 12 13:11  |  ChanahS 13/10/06
  67.   Is this for real? 13:16  |  volov 13/10/06
  68.   Tell that line to Condaleeza Rice... 13:37  |  eliyahu 13/10/06
  69.   VERY RACIST AND REPULSIVE COMMENTS... 13:40  |  Messaoud 13/10/06
  70.   This is a diplomat? 13:41  |  sweis Melbourne 13/10/06
  71.   Let him explain himself....LOL 13:43  |  T A Sheppard 13/10/06
  72.   We don`t want him 13:45  |  Marilyn 13/10/06
  73.   flattery, even couched in racism, will get you nowhere 13:56  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 13/10/06
  74.   White Jews? 14:03  |  A Dude 13/10/06
  75.   Foreign Ministry slams envoy`s comments 14:04  |  Ren 13/10/06
  76.   Israel is governed by incompetent dimwits 14:05  |  Asylum Aleikum 13/10/06
  77.   I thank all people who... 14:07  |  mimi 13/10/06
  78.   those zionists 14:15  |  john 13/10/06
  79.   SURPRISED? 14:16  |  * TALKBACK OBSERVER* 13/10/06
  80.   Askenazi Racism 14:16  |  Avi Yerusalmi 13/10/06
  81.   At least he said they had "slanted" eyes 14:20  |  Clickfool 13/10/06
 &nbs