Israel’s Ambassador to New Zealand Ran Yaakoby was invited to a closed-door event held on Sunday in Christchurch for Israel’s 75th Independence Day, but some 15 BDS activists found out about the event and waited for him outside the building with Palestinian flags.
More stories:
In order to avoid the activists protesting during the event, Yaakoby took a taxi to a place away from the area, held at a local restaurant, thus avoiding contact with the protesters.
The event, which was planned by the Friends of Israel Initiative NGO in Christchurch, was kept secret in order to prevent the arrival of the BDS activists - who had already published earlier this year "wanted" posters with Yaakoby's image.
However, it appears that one of the invited guests or a member of the NGO acted as a "double agent" and contacted the BDS hotline that was published in the "wanted" ads, to inform them about the planned event.
In response, the Foreign Ministry said: "The State of Israel continues to mark 75 years since its establishment in a variety of events around the world. This was also the case during the reception in New Zealand. Despite the few attempts by protesters on site, the entire event proceeded without disruption and brought great honor to Israel."
First published: 23:38, 05.01.23