Lieberman and Ayalon. Saved the day
Photo: Reuters
Ministers 'play hooky' from diplomatic events
Five cabinet members fail to show up for foreign ambassadors' receptions, nearly causing embarrassing diplomatic incidents. 'I didn't feel well,' 'I forgot' are only some of excuses provided
Israeli politicians make every effort to participate in their party members' celebrations in order to gain their votes in the next elections. Foreign ambassadors, on the other hand, are treated completely differently – and this has nearly led to several embarrassing diplomatic incidents.
The goal was to honor those countries and their ambassadors, just like Israel is honored on its Independence Day. A sixth minister was asked to greet China's interior minister, one of the most senior members of the Chinese cabinet, at Ben-Gurion Airport.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has the biggest government in Israel's history, with as many as 30 ministers. At the request of the head of ceremony at the Foreign Ministry, the Cabinet Secretariat instructed five ministers to attend receptions held in the past two weeks by the ambassadors of Panama, Chile, Uruguay, and the Czech Republic in honor of their countries' independence days.
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All ministers confirmed their participations – and failed to show up.
"I didn't feel well" and "I forgot" were only some of the excuses provided by the ministers when asked to explain their absence. One of the ministers said he was called to an urgent Knesset meeting, and another simply didn't feel like attending.
Lieberman to the rescue
The sudden cancellations left the Foreign Ministry embarrassed, helpless and concerned. Ministry officials realized that if a government representative failed to participate in the events, the foreign ambassadors would report this to their governments, leading to a possible diplomatic incident and even an "act of revenge" against Israel during important UN votes.Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and his deputy, Daniel Ayalon, decided to take the matter into their own hands. Despite their busy schedule, the two canceled important meetings, run from one event to another, and honored the ambassadors with their presence.
And so instead of working on ways to improve Israel's image in the world, the Foreign Ministry is forced recently to deal with ministers "playing hooky" from diplomatic events.
In light of the situation, the Cabinet Secretariat is looking into the option of forcing every minister to find a replacement if he or she is unavailable to attend a diplomatic reception.
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