WikiLeaks: 2004 Diplomatic Fallout With Israel Was Pretext For New Zealand To Further Ties With Arabs

It's one thing to curry favor with the Arab world over oil--but over lamb?

In 2004, an alleged Mossad operation to forge New Zealand passports led to a major diplomatic falling out between Israel and New Zealand.

Now, according to WikiLeaks, there were other motives behind New Zealand's diplomatic sanctions--instead, the claim is that New Zealand simply wasn't sheepish about dumping Israel for the Arab world:

[L]eaked diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks showed that New Zealand’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with Israel following a botched Mossad operation was an attempt to increase trade with the Arab world.

According to the cables, former U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand Charles Swindells said Wellington had "little to lose" by acting against Israel "and possibly something to gain in the Arab world ... actively pursuing trade with Arab states." In another cable Swindells said the Kiwis saw the "flap" as "an opportunity to bolster its credibility with the Arab community, and by doing so, perhaps help NZ lamb and other products gain greater access to a larger and more lucrative market.”

Labor Party leader Phil Goff, the foreign minister in 2004 when the scandal broke, denied the allegations this week.

At the time, anti-Israel feelings turned into expressions of anti-Semitism as Jewish graves were defaced.in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.

Technorati Tag: WikiLeaks and New Zealand