From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 19, 2019
Israeli envoy to Kyiv: Ukrainian presidency says PM’s wife discarding of bread no biggie
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleIsrael’s envoy to Ukraine downplays Sara Netanyahu’s discarding of a piece of special bread — similar to a challah — during a welcoming ceremony to Kyiv yesterday, after the incident involving the prime minister’s wife draws condemnations in Ukrainian media.
“President Zelensky’s chief of staff said this is not an important incident and is not worthy of media coverage,” Ambassador Joel Lion is quoted saying by the Kan public broadcaster.
The incident at the airport — in which Mrs. Netanyahu dropped a morsel of the bread handed to her by her husband, after he had tasted a piece and politely pronounced it “not bad” — came after reports said Sara Netanyahu tried to enter the cockpit on the plane to Ukraine after the captain’s welcome message excluded her. The captain later corrected the omission, and the Prime Minister’s office brushed off the incident.
Ukrainian TV is playing up the episodes, however.
“The Netanyahu visit is not passing without scandal. His wife Sara has managed to cause scandal at two separate opportunities. First, she was unsatisfied with the way the pilot welcomed the passengers [en route to Ukraine], and hurried to the cockpit to get this corrected. But she was not allowed in. When they landed at Kyiv airport, Sara Netanyahu ruined the Ukrainian [welcome] ceremony when she threw a slice of bread with salt to the floor,” a News One Ukrainian TV anchor reported, according to a translation by Israel’s Channel 12.
צפו: נתניהו נחת בשדה התעופה באוקראינה והתקבל בחגיגיות. גברים ונשים בלבוש מסורתי נתנו לרה"מ לבצוע חלה כנהוג במקום@ZeevKam pic.twitter.com/wYEdRjDz3K
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 18, 2019
Noted Israel’s Channel 12: “This seems to be rather an exaggeration of what happened.”
The Times of Israel Community.