Sri Lankas Hide and Seek Honeymoon

with Israel

Spells disaster for communal harmony.

By Latheef Farook : -Oct 7, 2015
An Israeli Parliamentary delegation visited Sri Lanka from 24 to 30 of September
2015. According to reports the delegation had discussions with Secretary-General of
Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake on areas of mutual interest, security arrangements
in Parliament, the public outreach and employing disabled people in Parliament.
However Mr. Dassanayake did not disclose the areas of mutual interest he discussed
with the visiting Israeli team. The question is how could Sri Lanka have areas of
mutual interest with Israel in view of its long list of war crimes which has turned the
Middle East into a killing field.
Sri Lanka is a country with more than 2000 years old civilization. In the 1960s and
1970s Sri Lankan voice was highly respected in all third world forums from Non
Aligned movement to Afro Asian Solidarity Organization for its support to oppressed
people worldwide in their struggle for freedom.
On the other hand Israel is an artificial neo fascist racist entity planted in Palestine, in
the heart of Middle East, after uprooting the sons and daughters of the soil, by Zionist
Jews supported by European colonial powers led by Britain, France, Russia and later
United States.
The purpose was to destabilize Middle East which was one of the peaceful regions in
the planet earth during Ottoman Turkish rule long before the advent of Zionists Jews
who were the godfathers of terrorism and killings in the region.

Israel is an entity established in violation of all moral, legal and ethical principles
cherished by humanity throughout the ages. Since 1930s Israel has committed more
than 60 massacres of Palestinians.
Now the question is why was an Israeli parliamentary delegation invited and honored
despite its crime records. Is it ignorance on the part of Dhammika Dasanayake and
his team on Israels crime records? While the Israeli team was having discussion here
with Dassanayale and going on guided tour, in the occupied Jerusalem illegal Jewish
settlers, backed by Israeli armed forces, attack Muslim worshippers at Al Aqsa Masjid
which is the third holiest place for Muslims.
Brave Palestinian men and women in Jerusalem struggle to ensure their rights and
dignity against the Israeli barbarity backed by the military might of US, Europe and
Russia.
The shameful state of affairs is such that there was hardly a word of support of
solidarity to the Palestinians struggling to protect Masjid Al Aqsa from the islands
bankrupt Muslim political, religious and civil society leaderships.
What one cannot understand is the haste with which the Israeli delegation was invited
to Sri Lanka even before the new government, elected with predominantly Muslim
votes, settles down.
When Mr. Dassanayake said that Israeli team visited Sri Lanka on our invitation one
has to presume that the invitation was government approved. Is the speaker of the Sri
parliament aware of this invitation?

Now the question is whether the invitation is from the present government which
claims to uphold justice and good governance or the defeated Mahinda Rajapakse
regime under which relations with Israel flourished while racist attacks on the islands
Muslim reached unprecedented scale?
Today under the changed political environment in Sri Lanka much is talked about on
reconciliation and communal harmony. Therefore in inviting the Israeli delegation did
Mr. Dassanayake ever think of the sentiments of the islands Muslim community or
the feelings of his own Muslim staff?
Muslims constitute more than one fourth of the world population and there are more
than 55 Muslim countries .Muslim countries, as proved time and again, remain the
best friends of Sri Lanka in times of both prosperity and adversity. Under such
circumstance did Mr. Dassanayake ever consider of inviting a delegation from any
Muslim country including Malaysia and Pakistan. NO.
Why? Is it the indifferent mindset towards injustice to Muslims worldwide?
By and large in Sri Lanka the present generation of professionals, intellectuals and
others including most in the media do not know much about the true face of Zionist
entity as the local media depends on the pro Zionist western media for its
international coverage. Are we to presume that Mr. Dassanayake belongs to this
group?
Already there were speculations that Israel financed Sinhala racists through Norway to
whip up hostility towards Muslims during defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa government. It
was as part of this hostility that a German Jew donated a building for Sinhala
extremist Bodu Bala Sena in Galle at a function attended by former defense
secretary Gotabya Rajapajksa.
Under the circumstance the need of the hour is to reestablish the image of Sri Lanka
in the international stage by once again supporting the oppressed people including
Palestinians who were abandoned by the Arab tyrants too and not by rolling red carpet
to Israeli war criminals.
Countries like South Africa and its legendary leaders like Nelson Mandela and
Archbishop Desmond Tutu were respected because they defend justice all over.
Israelis were trying to penetrate into Sri Lankan since 1950s .Every time they sneaked
into the island they were expelled. It was during Prime Minister W Dahanayakes
period in 1958 a non resident ambassador was appointed to Israel, but he was
recalled by Prime Minister Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranaike.

During the 1970 general elections expelling the Israeli mission in Colombo was a
pledge by the United Front which attracted sizable Muslims votes. Fulfilling her
promise Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranaike closed down the Israeli mission in Colombo
despite threats of economic boycott. The islands fiercely independent and dignified
policy and the overall attitude towards Israel was such that in 1979, Sri Lankan Cricket
Team refused to play its match against Israel in the 15 nation qualifying competition in
the 2nd Prudential World Cricket Competition in England.

In the aftermath of 1983 anti

Tamil pogrom President Jayewardene turned to Israel to deal with the rising Tamil
militancy in the north as both the United States and Britain refused to help. Israel
which thrives on others misery grabbed the opportunity and an Israeli Interest
Section was established in the US Embassy in Colombo with David Matna, later
reported belonging to Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, as resident head.
Muslims opposed the move. Leading a delegation respected senior Muslim politician
and Chairman of UNP Dr M.C.M. Kaleel met President Jayewardene to express
Muslim concerns. But dismissing them President Jayewardene stated well, if the
Muslims wanted they can remain in the government, otherwise they can leave.
This was one of the reasons why the frustrated Muslims, especially those in the east,
turned to Sri Lanka Muslim Congress for a forum of their own to raise their voice,
though it later ended up as a disaster.
Here in Sri Lanka, instead of helping Jayewardenes government Israelis trained both.
For example disclosing Israeli hypocrisy in his book By Way of Deception; The
Making and Unmaking of a Mussed Officer Victor Ostrovsky and Claire Hoy
disclosed that;

The Israelis trained elite forces, for both sides-( Tamil militants and the government
forces) without either side knowing about the other and helped Sri Lanka cheat the
World Bank and other investors out of millions of dollars to pay for all the arms they
were buying from them
This book came out with startling revelations of Sri Lankas secret relations with Israel
and President Ranasinghe Premadasa appointed a presidential commission of
inquiry into allegations. He later closed down the Israeli Interest Section in Colombo
on 20 April 1990 and discontinued diplomatic relations with Israel.
Once again Secret talks between Israel and Sri Lanka began in 1996 when the then
Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was hospitalized in New Delhi for a kidney
operation. The Israeli ambassador in New Delhi, accompanied by the then Indian
Ambassador in Colombo Sivashankar Menon who was earlier the Indian ambassador
in Israel before coming to Sri Lanka and later Foreign secretary in India, visited Mr.
Kadirgamar in the hospital.
According to reports the Israeli ambassador had visited Mr. Kadirgamar frequently in
the hospital and these secret contacts led to the resumption of diplomatic relations
between the two countries in June 2000.
Once again Israelis entered Sri Lanka like midnight thieves during the Rajapaksa
regime and began spreading their tentacles from politicians, media, business
establishments and other fields.
Israelis were so successful that they got President Mahinda Rajapaksa, then Prime
Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and a parliamentary delegation led by then Leader
of the House Nimal Sripala De Silva to visit Israel. Since then several ministers and
top officials visited Israel. Certainly a great achievement for Israel.
The recent visit of Israeli parliamentary team indicates that ties between Sri Lankan
and Israel continue to flourish to the detriment of the island. What most people who
hob knobs with Israel fail to understand is that Israel is not a Muslim but a national
issue. Ends
Posted by Thavam