Following discreet high-level bilateral discussions held over a period of several months by the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yuval Rotem, and MFA Deputy Director-General, Head of the Division for Asia and the Pacific, Mark Sofer, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on the telephone several days ago with New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English.
Following the discussions, PM English dispatched a letter to PM Netanyahu, in which he stated: “First and most importantly, as I said in our conversation, I regret the damage done to relations between New Zealand and Israel as a result of New Zealand’s co-sponsorship of UNSC resolution 2334. We welcome the return of Israel’s ambassador to Wellington.”
The Israeli ambassador to New Zealand was recalled to Jerusalem for discussions in the wake of New Zealand’s co-sponsorship of UN Security Council Resolution 2334, together with Senegal, Malaysia and Venezuela.
In light of the telephone conversation and letter, PM Netanyahu instructed Dir.-Gen. Rotem to notify the New Zealand authorities of his decision to end the diplomatic crisis and to return Ambassador Itzhak Gerberg to his post in Wellington.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
The flag you show is the British flag. New Zealand has never been part of the United Kingdom, and has been completely independent since the mid-20th century.
New Zealand regrets the damage done to Israel by its sponsoring the resolution. Very nice.
Has New Zealand now committed itself not to sponsor or vote for similar anti-Israel resolutions in the future? If not, what has changed to justify ending the diplomatic crisis?!