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Monday March 12, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Israel has recalled its ambassador to El Salvador after he was found
drunk and naked apart from bondage gear.

A foreign ministry spokeswoman said a search was under way for his
replacement.

Tsuriel Raphael was found by El Salvador police two weeks ago in the
yard of his official residence, according to Israeli media reports.
After the officers untied and ungagged him, he told them he was the
ambassador of Israel.

The foreign ministry spokeswoman said the reports were true but stressed
Mr Raphael had not broken any laws. "We're talking about behaviour that
is unbecoming of a diplomat," she said.

Mr Raphael had served for six months as the ambassador in El Salvador
and for several years at different missions around the world.

The embarrassing affair is one of several involving Israeli diplomats in
recent years.

In 2000, Israel's ambassador to France died of cardiac arrest in a Paris
hotel under circumstances the foreign ministry refused to publicise.
Media reports said he was with a woman who was not his wife at the time.

Last year, Israel replaced its ambassador to Australia, Naftali Tamir,
after he said Israel and Australia are "like sisters" because both are
in Asia and their peoples do not have "yellow skin and slanted eyes".

In 2005, Israel cancelled the appointment of a diplomat to Australia
after it was discovered that he had published pictures of nude Brazilian
women on the internet while on a mission in Brazil.