India\'s Israel Policy - P. R. Kumaraswamy

130 recognition without relations

Day celebrations in New Delhi. Until then, such celebrations had been
held in Bombay, where the Israeli Consulate was located. The Indian gov-
ernment was not prepared to accept this deviation and demanded the
cancellation of the function, which was scheduled for April 15, 1964.
When the consul did not respond to this request, the Indian government
had the reservations at the state- run Ashok Hotel cancelled. The issue
rocked the Indian parliament. Many friends of Israel were furious over
the government’s treatment and accused Nehru of being “discourteous.”

table 6.1
Heads of the Israeli Consulate in Bombay (now Mumbai), 1950– 1992

F. W. Pollacka 1951– 1953

Gabriel Doron 1953– 1956

Avshalom Caspi 1956 – 1959

Michael Michael 1959– 1962

Arieh Ilan 1962– 1963

Peretz Gordon 1964– 1965

Reuven Dafni 1965– 1969

Ya’acov Morris 1969– 1971

Yair Aran 1971– 1973

Yehoshua Trigor 1973– 1976

Shlomo Armon 1976– 1979

Yosef Hassinb 1979– 1982

Immanuel Seric 1982– 1984

Oded Ben- Hurd 1985–1987

Amos Radian 1987– 1989

Giora Becher 1989– 1992

aInitially, he was appointed trade commissioner of Israel for Southeast Asia, and following

Nehru’s reservations over India not being part of Southeast Asia, on June 7, 1951, his designa-
tion was changed to consular agent for India. On October 20, 1952, he was made honorary
consul and continued in this position until June 1, 1953, when a regular diplomat from the
Foreign Ministry replaced him.
bFollowing a controversial media interview in June 1982, he was declared persona non grata.

cThis position was downgraded to vice consul and continued until the mid- 1980s.

dBen- Hur and Radian were technical staff who were temporarily in charge of the mission

because of the Indian refusal to authorize a regular staff.

Source: Avimor, ed., Relations Between Israel and Asian and African States, 6:382.