Former Israeli diplomats come out against Honduran president
Honduran President Hernández will be the first foreign head of state in Israel's 70-year history chosen to light a torch at the Independence Day ceremony—a decision former Israeli diplomats are claiming was made to 'facilitate the participation of the prime minister in the ceremony.'
Claims have been made Hernández's invitation to the official ceremony that concludes Memorial Day and launches Independence Day events was meant to facilitate the participation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Last week, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein threatened not to attend the torch lighting ceremony if an initiative by Culture Minister Miri Regev is introduced that would see Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin deliver a speech, sparking a dispute among ministers, former Knesset speakers and MKs.
Then, Regev announced that the Center for International Cooperation would participate in the ceremony, together with the Honduran president, who attended a social leadership course at the center in 1992.
According to protocol, the presence of a foreign president at an official state ceremony obligates the attendance of the prime minister.
However, Eran Etzion, the former deputy national security adviser and a former senior Foreign Ministry official, said that according to protocol, it's not the prime minister that should accompany the Honduran president at the ceremony, but rather President Reuven Rivlin, whose role is defined as the head of state.
Sources close to Rivlin have already stated the president does not intend to attend or speak at the ceremony, even if he is invited to do so.
"So how important is Honduras to the State of Israel? Why does it deserve to have its president light a torch on Independence Day? Why was it chosen by the honorable lady Miri Regev out of all other nations?" Etzion wrote on Twitter. "As someone who served for some 26 years in Israel's diplomatic and defense establishments, I can testify in front of the mortal court that Honduras's name has never been raised in any discussion."
Hernández is the first graduate of the Center for International Cooperation to be elected the head of a state, and this would be the first time in Israel's 70-year history that a foreign head of state is among those chosen to light the 12 torches, which represent Israel's 12 tribes, at the Independence Day ceremony.
Víctor Harel, Israel's former ambassador to Spain who also served as the foreign services' inspector general, mentioned Honduras had actually abstained from the 1947 UN vote on the Partition Plan, which called for the end of the British mandate and the establishment of two independent states in the land of Israel—a Jewish state and an Arab state.
"It's very surprising that Hernández was invited," Harel said, adding that there hasn't been an Israeli embassy in Honduras since 1994.
"For 25 years now that we don't have an embassy there. We haven't been treating it as an important nation in Central America. We've always had a non-resident ambassador (chargé d'affaires) there. Establishing an embassy points to the importance given to the country," Harel explained.
He also noted the allegations of human rights violations and corruption made against Hernández, noting "The fact he's a graduate of the Center for International Cooperation doesn't qualify him and his country to participant in the most important and significant ceremony we have. It appears strange to me."
Hernández, a conservative supported by the United States, appeared set to lose the elections in Honduras last year until an abrupt halt in the vote count and a shift in the results took victory away from his center-left rival, Salvador Nasralla.
Allegations of fraud sparked protests that killed more than 30 people in the impoverished Central American country, which has also been plagued by battles between security forces, local gangs and drug traffickers.
During his inauguration speech, Hernández called for unity, saying "If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand. I promise to carry out a process of reconciliation among all Hondurans."
Gideon Meir, the former deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry and the head of public diplomacy until 2014, also voiced his criticism of the choice.
"The explanation to why the president of Honduras will be accompanying the head of the Center for International Cooperation to light a torch is the fact he was a graduate of the Center. But for those with short memory, (I'll remind that) Idi Amin (Ugandan despot) attended a study program of the IDF, and everyone knows how that turned out. Hint: Not so good," Meir said on Twitter. "Out of the desire to supposedly honor the Center for International Cooperation (something it deserves), this bizarre president is forced upon the Center."
In a conversation with Ynet, Meir added that this was "a cynical use of the Foreign Ministry and the Center, which on the one hand are being exalted by the government, while on the other hand their budgets are cut over the years. The Center for International Cooperation is undoubtedly one of the more important bodies in the State of Israel, and it has no funds."
"The invitation of the president of Honduras is an attempt to exploit the Center and the Foreign Ministry to facilitate the participation of the prime minister in the ceremony," Meir determined.
Dr. Nimrod Goren, the head of Mitvim - The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, also supported honoring and highlighting the Center for International Cooperation, but slammed the fact it is tied to the invitation of the Honduran president.
"If they wanted to show the positive influence the Center for International Cooperation has on the international arena—which could be even bigger if Israel increases its foreign aid budget—they should've selected a different international figure, which faithfully represents the democratic and liberal system of values Israel boasts," Dr. Goren explained.
Alon Liel, the former director-general of the Foreign Ministry, lamented the fact that "everything that was part of tradition, almost sacred, was trampled, including this ceremony. New ceremonies are being organized, based on new values, to create a different future—as long as it destroys everything the past symbolizes."
Someone who is not from the Foreign Ministry but is still no stranger to diplomacy and PR is former IDF spokesman Avi Benayahu, who called the invitation of Honduran president "a small political ploy," which "hurts the purity of Independence Day, tramples over what's left of stateliness, and injects tainted politics into the land of the national remembrance mountain. What the hell is going on here?"
Foreign Ministry rejects cricisim
Current Foreign Ministry officials rejected the criticism, saying in a statement: "In 2015, when the president of Honduras met the prime minister, he promised he would change the policy towards Israel, and kept his promise.
"The cooperation with Honduras has significantly improved. Honduras is promoting Israel's joining the Central American Integration System (SICA)... the Honduran president has signed large defense deals with Israel."
The Foreign Ministry officials further noted that Hernández is the only graduate of the Center for International Cooperation that was elected as a leader of a country. "He reached the most influential position, following which he created close cooperation with the Center, including an Israeli expert stationed there (in Honduras) on a regular basis," the statement said.
They further noted that Hernández's election has been recognized by the US, the European Union and the UN.
"This man was selected by the committee to select torch-lighters as one of the people who represent the Center for International Cooperation's 60 years of commendable work, which brings honor to the State of Israel; represents leading values in Israeli society of sharing, aide, contribution, and working together for a better future; and opens the door for Israeli exports and to cementing a positive image for Israel," the statement continued.
"The fact that a president is a center graduate … who increases the center's activities and strengthens political relations with Israel is an excellent example of the success of Israeli diplomacy.
"It is a shame that those who are not familiar with the current situation are dragged into a populist discourse, ignoring the real situation. The officials at the Foreign Ministry regard the invitation as a real illustration of the success of the center's activities."
Hundreds of millions of dollars in defense deals
There have been reports of several defense deals between Israel and Honduras in recent years. Last month, it was reported that the Israel-based Elbit Systems will provide Honduras with Skylark drones and 490 communication devices of different types to the Honduran army. The deal includes three Skylark systems, with each system including two aircraft for day and night time observations. Elbit will also send its experts to Honduras to train military personnel to use the systems.
In October 2017, the "Israel Defense" blog reported that the two countries signed a massive $300 million arms deal, which also includes establishment of a national computer emergency response team (CERT).
According to Janes, the deal also includes the refurbishment of 10 F-5E Tiger IIs planes, two F-5F, and five Cessna A-37B Dragonfly, carried out by Elbit System. The refurbished planes are expected to resume operations in 2019.
The website elpais.hn added that the deal further includes an OPV patrol boat, likely manufactures by Israel Shipyards.
During his last visit to Israel in 2015, Hernández, who arrived with all of his ministers, announced a strategic change in his country's ties to Israel: Honduras will now vote with Israel on important resolutions at the UN and other international bodies. And, indeed, last December, Honduras was one of the only seven countries to vote in favor of the US decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
While visiting Israel three years ago, Hernández said that the Foreign Ministry course he participated in and the knowledge he gained from it, played a crucial part in his path toward a life of public service, adding he hoped many more young people would be able to participate in such programs.
"We welcome your friendship, welcome the expression of that friendship in international forums, and I think we can do a great deal together, and in this respect I think that this visit is a milestone in our friendship and our general view of the importance of Latin America and Honduras's role in that region," Netanyahu told Hernández at the time.
Hernández responded that "We are here to reinforce and reaffirm the fact that Honduras is a friend of Israel and we will continue supporting you in terms of security and liberty."
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Reuters contributed to this story.
