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Israel's ambassador to Australia and New Zealand has returned to work after being recalled for reportedly making racist comments.
But the Israeli media is predicting that Naftali Tamir's posting to Canberra will be curtailed, despite Israel's Foreign Ministry accepting his explanation that he was misreported.
Mr Tamir caused a stir when the Haaretz newspaper quoted him saying Australia and Israel were 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."
NZPA's Jerusalem correspondent reported today that the Haaretz reporter stood by her report, saying she quoted Mr Tamir accurately.
When Mr Tamir returned to his duties late last week, the Israeli Foreign Ministry released a statement saying: "As from the first moment remarks attributed to the ambassador of Israel appeared in Haaretz, Ambassador Tamir issued a statement denying the alleged quotations. This denial was repeated during every stage of the internal Foreign Ministry review of the matter."
The Jerusalem Post reported that speculation was rife that Mr Tamir may not serve out his full term.
His posting started in January 2005 and was due to run another two years, but now he was expected to finish in July or August next year.
High-level Jewish leaders, speaking to the Australian Jewish News (AJN) on condition of anonymity, expressed surprise that Mr Tamir was returning to Canberra.
Many had understood from their communications with officials in Jerusalem over the past two weeks that he would be permanently recalled to Jerusalem, the AJN reported.
David Zwartz, who was Israel's honorary consul in New Zealand before Mr Tamir's appointment as non-resident envoy, cautioned against his return.
"If he did say it, I don't think that he would be acceptable as an ambassador here," Zwartz, the immediate past president of the New Zealand Jewish Council, told the AJN.
Prime Minister Helen Clark said afterwards that if the remarks had been correctly reported they were "completely unacceptable".
"If they were made by anyone in our public service there would be quite severe consequences," she said at her post-cabinet press conference.
- NZPA
