Israel's UN ambassador attends Le Pen meeting by 'mistake'

[Violet_Crumble]

Ron Prosor says he arrived at a luncheon for leader of France's exreme-right party by 'accident' and left immediately; French media, however, reproted that Prosor stayed for 20 minutes and shook Le Pen's hand.

By Shlomo Shamir

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, said over the weekend that his attendance at a luncheon for Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s extreme right-wing party National Front and presidential candidate, at the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday was a "mistake".

"It was an event that I wasn't supposed to be at to begin with, and I got there by accident. When I realized my mistake, I immediately left the event,” Prosor said after the event.

Marine Le Pen is the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the National Front party.

French media outlets reported widely on Prosor’s attendance at the UN event organized in Le Pen’s honor. French media noted that the Israeli ambassador shook Le Pen’s hand and remained at the event for 20 minutes. French newspapers also published a photograph of Prosor and Le Pen standing together.

Ambassador Prosor denied the contents of the French reports in a conversation with Haaretz. “After I saw Marine Le Pen there, I immediately realized that I had no place being there, and I left the room,” said Prosor.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-s-un-ambassador-attends-le-pen-meeting-by-mistake-1.393919

[Owlet]

1. Ron Prosor..Ron Prosor

Why does that name ring a bell? Oh, now I remember..the guy that used to do all the product demos on TV!

[bemildred]

2. Tsk. nt

[Tesha]

3. "I did *NOT* have political relations with that man! (NT)

[azurnoir]

4. oops

I guess he realized who she was during the handshake

[shaayecanaan]

5. The money quote:

'When Prosor left the event, he was filmed by television cameras saying, “We spoke about Europe and other topics and I very much enjoyed the conversation.”'

I dare say one of the other topics would have been...Muslims.

The about-turn by Prosor is hilarious, though. I wonder if he thought he was attending a meeting of the local cribbage club, along with Jean-Marie le Pen of course.

This could be a great opportunity for Israel to make new friends. You could have their UK ambassador break bread with the English Defence League. Or perhaps Dore Gold...well actually I am pretty sure he has already whored himself out to every right-wing Christian fundamentalist outfit in the US.

[LeftishBrit]

6. That's quite a mistake!

[Scurrilous]

7. Whoops.

:P

[oberliner]

8. Glad that he left immediately

Shame that the representatives from Japan and Armenia did not do likewise.

[Violet_Crumble]

9. But he didn't leave immediately....

Further into the article it says:

'Prosor’s version of the events contradicts comments he made to reporters outside the event. Before he entered the hall, Prosor was asked by a French journalist if he is the “number one” Israeli diplomat at the United Nations. According to Prosor’s own recollection, he responded, “I replied to him that I am not a number, but a free man.”

When Prosor left the event, he was filmed by television cameras saying, “We spoke about Europe and other topics and I very much enjoyed the conversation.”'

[oberliner]

10. The reporter appears to be calling him a liar

I'm going to take him at his word.

I haven't seen what was allegedly filmed by the television cameras mentioned in the article, nor heard any comments to the unnamed French journalist - have you?

[Violet_Crumble]

11. It is strange that he says he left immediately but still got in a photo with Le Pen...

He says he recognised her, so posing for a photo with her seems a bit of a strange thing to do if he didn't want a thing to do with her or the meeting. I haven't seen the footage talked about in the article, but if it's around it'd be worth seeing...

What I really don't understand is why an event for an extreme RW party was being held at the UN headquarters....