Israel lodged a formal protest with Holland over the presence of two top Dutch Foreign Ministry officials at a Palestine Day reception here last Thursday, held by Arab ambassadors. The Netherlands envoy to Israel, Iwan Veckode, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem and asked to convey to his government Israel’s “profound regret.” Palestine Day, the anniversary of the November 29, 1947 partition resolution, was officially designated by the UN three years ago as a day of solidarity with the Palestinian people and their aspirations. Until this year, Holland had ignored the event, having voted against the original resolution in 1977. The Arab envoys advanced the date of the observance to Thursday because Saturday is an inappropriate time for a diplomatic fete.
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