Israel 'sorry for any hurt' with Mexico over wall tweet

[webfact]

Israel 'sorry for any hurt' with Mexico over wall tweet

By Jeffrey Heller

REUTERS

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to students involved in high-tech related programmes during the Cyber Security Conference in Tel Aviv, Israel January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

 

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's president told his Mexican counterpart on Tuesday that he was "sorry for the hurt" over a tweet in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to praise U.S. President Donald Trump's plans to build a wall on the Mexican border.

 

In a tweet on Saturday that drew a rebuke from Mexico, the right-wing Netanyahu wrote: "President Trump is right. I built a wall along Israel's southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration. Great success. Great idea."

 

Netanyahu had earlier sidestepped Mexico's demand for an apology and echoed previous Israeli explanations - rejected as insufficient by Mexico's foreign minister on Monday - of his remarks on Twitter. He said his comments did not refer to ties between the United States and its southern neighbour.

 

The office of President Reuven Rivlin, whose post is largely ceremonial, issued a statement taking a more conciliatory line.

 

"I am sorry for any hurt caused as a result of this misunderstanding, but we must remember that we are talking about a misunderstanding, and I am sure that we can put the issue behind us," Rivlin was quoted as telling Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

 

Mexico's foreign ministry acknowledged Rivlin's apology.

 

The ministry said Pena Nieto told Rivlin the tweet had upset Mexico and its Jewish community, before adding that Mexico wanted to maintain its friendship and cooperation with Israel.

 

On Monday, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said he thought an apology would be "appropriate" for Netanyahu's tweet while noting that Israel was a close friend of Mexico.

 

Trump's planned border wall, which he says will keep out illegal immigrants, along with his threat to impose punitive taxes against Mexico to rebalance trade, has brought about the worst crisis in U.S.-Mexican relations for decades. Trump signed an executive order last week ordering construction of the wall.

 

Netanyahu, in public remarks on Monday, said that in his tweet he had been referring to Trump's praise for the barrier Israel constructed along the Egyptian frontier, a fence with electronic sensors that has largely halted the influx of African migrants.

 

"I did point out the remarkable success of Israel's security fence. But I did not comment about U.S.-Mexico relations. We've had, and will continue to have, good relations with Mexico," Netanyahu said in English at a cybersecurity conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

 

Political commentators and opposition politicians in Israel said Netanyahu's tweet had needlessly thrust Israel into the U.S.-Mexican feud.

 

At the Tel Aviv conference, Netanyahu said that Israeli-Mexican ties "are much stronger than any passing disagreement or misunderstanding".

 

(Additional reporting by Ori Lewis and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem and Dave Graham in Mexico City; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Hugh Lawson and Frances Kerry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-01

[Ulysses G.]

The security Wall in Israel has worked to a remarkable extent suppressing terrorism. The one on the Mexican border would likely cut way down on illegal immigrants and illegal drugs as well. Mexican should accept that fact.

[Galactus]

a classic. fascists countries and leaders support each other.

Israel of has great experience on walls and turning israel a prison.

but it looks like this time Netenyahu went to far to Mexico:) and then making an a.s kissing apology. 

[humqdpf]

I am reaching for my smelling salts and the brandy here. What? Israel under Netanyahu apologising for ANYTHING?????

[kamahele]

4 hours ago, Ulysses G. said:

The security Wall in Israel has worked to a remarkable extent suppressing terrorism. The one on the Mexican border would likely cut way down on illegal immigrants and illegal drugs as well. Mexican should accept that fact.

The system of walls in Israel has also been successful in keeping the Palestinian people from employment, from seeing family members and from land that is historically legally theirs. Israel could have ended the violence decades ago by signing a peace agreement and giving the Palestinians their own country as agreed to. Mexico might not have been so offended by the idea of a wall if Trump hadn't demonized all Mexicans in America as rapists and having said Mexico is sending us criminals and not their best etc. 

[Opl]

Netanyahu .. porque no te callas !

[Jingthing]

Bibi should have kept his mouth shut about this from the start. Yes, he's sucking up to trump, and that's disturbing, but the "reasons" for the two walls are very different. The primary reason they were originally built in Israel was to reduce suicide bombers, and for that purpose it largely worked. The U.S. doesn't have that issue. 

[Jingthing]

2 hours ago, humqdpf said:

I am reaching for my smelling salts and the brandy here. What? Israel under Netanyahu apologising for ANYTHING?????

Not a big fan of Bibi, but he has apologized before and so have other Israel officials on various occasions. But I get it, fun for the Israel demonization agenda to trash all of Israel at every chance. 

[Galactus]

31 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Not a big fan of Bibi, but he has apologized before and so have other Israel officials on various occasions. But I get it, fun for the Israel demonization agenda to trash all of Israel at every chance. 

the thing is, we dont need to do anything to demonize Israel.

Fascists like Bibi, IDF and such do the demonization!

[chilli42]

Dumb ass said with foot in mouth.

[DriveByTrucker]

21 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Bibi should have kept his mouth shut about this from the start. Yes, he's sucking up to trump, and that's disturbing, but the "reasons" for the two walls are very different. The primary reason they were originally built in Israel was to reduce suicide bombers, and for that purpose it largely worked. The U.S. doesn't have that issue. 

The primary reason the wall in Palestine was build by the occupying power was to imprison Palestinians, and prevent them from access to food, drinking water, medicine, and building materials. An "additional advantage" of this wall is that it prevents Palestinians the possibility to flee whenever Israel decides again to drop some phosphorus and cluster bombs, therefore this wall helps to maximizes Palestinian casualties. Although the time is different, sadly there are some resemblances to the Warsaw Ghetto of the 1930ties. Justifying this wall with rhetoric like "preventing suicide bombers from entering Israel" is ridiculous and and pure right-wing Israeli propaganda......

[KenKadz]

Interesting that no one asks why the Mexican government (which protects its own Southern border from illegal immigrants) is so adamantly against a wall?

Honest, law abiding individuals use the legal border entry points provided by the U.S. government.

And everyone from every country (until recently) was free to apply for legal entry to the U.S. if they wished.

[DriveByTrucker]

2 minutes ago, KenKadz said:

Interesting that no one asks why the Mexican government (which protects its own Southern border from illegal immigrants) is so adamantly against a wall?

Honest, law abiding individuals use the legal border entry points provided by the U.S. government.

And everyone from every country (until recently) was free to apply for legal entry to the U.S. if they wished.

Who says that the Mexican government is against the wall? They are against paying for it, sure, but they are in no position to be against it. If the US wants to build a wall it is up to them.....

[KenKadz]

24 minutes ago, DriveByTrucker said:

Who says that the Mexican government is against the wall? They are against paying for it, sure, but they are in no position to be against it. If the US wants to build a wall it is up to them.....

Maybe we are both right.

 

Read Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto's fiery speech about ...

www.latimes.com/world/mexico.../la-fg-mexico-president-speech-20170126-story.ht...

7 days ago - Trump’s order to begin wall construction opens wider rift with Mexico ... The Mexican government will offer them legal advice to guarantee the ... used the platform to speak out against President Trump's immigration ban.