Gary Fitleberg, December 30, 2004

The Anti-Defamation League criticized a Vatican newspaper for falsely claiming Israel had denied relief to Sri Lanka after this week’s tsunami.

The ADL noted that contrary to the report in L’Osservatore Romano, Sri Lankan officials had rejected Israel’s offer to provide a large team to help with search-and-rescue efforts because it contained Israeli military personnel, though it had agreed to a smaller team.

"This is a case of wishing to believe the worst about Israel, whether or not it is true," the ADL’s national director, Abraham Foxman, said in a statement. Sri Lankan officials reportedly had worried that the Israeli military component to the relief could anger Muslim residents.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2004 Gary Fitleberg