Israeli Embassy reopens in New Zealand
In a move which has caught the Jewish community by surprise, the Israeli Embassy has reopened its doors in Wellington.
The embassy’s contact detail and its address on the Terrace in Wellington’s CBD were made public when posted late this afternoon on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s web site.
J-Wire broke the news to Stephen Goodman, president of the New Zealand Jewish Council. He said: “This has come as a complete surprise to me. Nobody has told us a thing.”
No Israeli Embassy in Wellington [NIEW] is protesting the re-establishment of the diplomatic presence. Ambassador-designate Shemi Tzur is already in the country and is expected to become the official Israeli Ambassador to New Zealand on May 7.
J-Wire called the published number to verify the information. We received a recorded message in English and Ivrit stating that the embassy was closed for Yom Ha’tzmaut but would be open for business on Wednesday, April 21.
It closed in 2002 as part of financial cutbacks.
It is ironic that the israeli government should be cuddling up to New Zealand at the moment. The prime minister is aJew by birth but does not keep the faith. His goverment has banned kosher shechita and as a result is well on the way to being the first country outside islam to drive out the Jews since the 16 century CE