Gideon Meir ‘no longer’ Israeli ambassador to Malta

Gideon Meir - who was irked by statements made last month in Parliament by Transport Minister Austin Gatt over the multi-million Delimara Power Station extension contract awarded to Scandinavian contractors BWSC rather than to Israeli firm Bateman – paid a farewell visit to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi last Monday.

Gideon Meir will keep his post as Israeli ambassador to Rome, however he will no longer be also responsible for Malta.

A senior Israeli diplomat confirmed yesterday that a new ambassador for Malta will be appointed, and he will work from Jerusalem.

Diplomatic relations between Malta and Israel became strained following Minister Austin Gatt’s declarations before the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament last month and led to a stern reaction from ambassador Meir.

 “The State of Israel suggests that whoever needs to explain the odd results of the Delimara power station tender should focus on the issue itself instead of trying to involve us by using false accusations,” a spokesperson for the Rome-based ambassador had told MaltaToday.

Spokesperson Yariv Ovadia said:  “the allegations suggesting that the Israeli Ambassador or any other Israeli official had threatened any Maltese official are totally false.”

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was said to have refused a phone call from former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Gatt told the PAC that Israeli company Hutney Bateman had “threatened and offered incentives to the government in order to win the contract.”

The minister added that Ehud Olmert, who was disgraced over corruption scandals, insisted to speak over the phone with Prime Minister Gonzi over the bid, but the Prime Minister “refused to take the call as politicians do not get involved in contracts.”

Gatt stressed that the refusal came in the wake of a previous meeting between Prime Minister Gonzi and the ambassador Gideon Meir.

“We feel sorry that the integrity of the State of Israel and the Ambassador of Israel to Malta were dragged into this internal Maltese affair. We suggest that whoever needs to explain the odd results of the tender should focus on the issue itself instead of trying to involve us by using false accusations,” Ovadia said.

Gatt told the PAC that the Israeli ambassador had warned the Prime Minister  that "the issue is going to embarrass the Maltese government as the Malta Labour Party has good contacts with the Hutney Bateman consortium and has all the details of the tender."

But Ovadia said that “during the routine rounds of meetings of the Ambassador, various people on the island expressed their concern that apparently there are irregularities in this tender. At that point, so as not to interfere with internal Maltese controversy, the Ambassador decided to refrain from dealing with the subject. He also informed Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi of his decision.”

Last night ambassador Gideon Meir hosted a reception for all ambassadors accredited to Malta and other guests.