Israel has criticised Britain’s ambassador to Lebanon for eulogising a recently deceased Lebanese cleric said to have inspired Hezbollah.
Frances Guy has extensive experience in the Middle East
Israel has criticised Britain’s ambassador to Lebanon for eulogising a recently deceased Lebanese cleric said to have inspired Hezbollah.
Frances Guy wrote on her personal blog that Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah was a “decent man” who rated among the people she most admired.
An Israeli spokesman said Ayatollah Fadlallah was “unworthy of praise”.
The UK foreign office says it has taken down the blog after “mature consideration”.
It said the comments reflected Ms Guy’s personal opinion, not official UK policy.
Ayatollah Fadlallah, Lebanon’s top Shia Muslim cleric, died on Sunday at the age of 74. Thousands of people attended his funeral in Beirut and tributes poured in from all over the Arab and Islamic worlds.
Two days ago, CNN sacked a veteran Middle East editor who wrote on Twitter that she “respected” the late cleric, saying that her credibility had been compromised.
Related posts:
Chinese
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Russian
Spanish