Israel’s foreign diplomats have refused to work with Mossad spies “anywhere in the world” after agents effectively broke a strike picket line.
By Adrian Blomfield in Jerusalem
The rift was caused after the agency’s spies stepped in to help organise a trip for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, to Greece next week, after foreign diplomatic staff refused because of industrial action over pay.
The strike, which was triggered by claims that diplomats get half the pay of defence ministry officials, has seen workers engineering a series of diplomatic faux pas. These include leaving the wife of Estonia’s president stranded at a restaurant outside Jerusalem and failing to role out a red carpet for the Russian foreign minister. They have also ditched suits in favour of jeans and sandals.
Mr Netanyahu asked Mossad operatives to help with his trip after the industrial action meant he would have to cancel it.
Hanan Goder, chairman of the foreign ministry’s diplomatic association, threatened to retaliate by withdrawing co-operation with Mossad.
He said: “It is unacceptable that the prime minister would use another body, which is strictly in charge of security matters to break a strike.”
He said: “Our mission abroad is to analyse political developments,” he said. “If we are excluded (from the Athens trip), they will face the consequences and we will not send them the reports we normally write.”
Mr Goder said striking diplomats would “provide no aid to Mossad representatives” at embassies and consulates around the world except in matters of “life or death”.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/7944635/Israeli-diplomats-boycott-Mossad-spies-over-wage-dispute.html, 13 Aug 2010
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