JERUSALEM: Israel on Friday closed down its embassy in Mauritania, one of three Arab nations that have diplomatic ties with the Jewish state, the foreign ministry said, in the wake of a dispute over the Gaza war.
Following a Jan. 16 decision of the Mauritanian government to freeze ties with Israel, and at the request of Mauritania, Israel today closed its embassy in Nouakchott, a foreign ministry statement said.
Mauritania called back its ambassador in Israel following the 22-day offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip that was launched on Dec. 27.
In Nouakchott, an AFP correspondent said the Israeli flag and security measures, including surveillance cameras, had been taken down overnight.
A diplomatic source said embassy staff was expected to leave Mauritania on Friday or Saturday.
An Israeli diplomatic official declined to comment on the matter.
It was not clear if the embassy closure was temporary or permanent, signaling a break in diplomatic ties which date from 1999.
Egypt and Jordan are the only other Arab countries to have formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
Israel s attack on Gaza in response to rocket fire killed more than 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis. – AFP
