The advisory report of the UN Secretary General’s three member Panel on Sri Lanka is not based on human rights but is merely a political manifestation, Israeli Ambassador to Sri Lanka based in New Delhi, Mark Sofer said.

Speaking at press conference in Colombo yesterday, the Israel Ambassador said his country did not have any recommendations to make to Sri Lanka in that regard as the country has dealt with it properly and is capable of taking care of its own affairs
The Ambassador compared the advisory panel report on Sri Lanka to the Goldstone report by the UN in 2009, where Israel was accused of war crimes during the Gaza conflict.

He noted that the author of the report has had to retract most of the accusations leveled against Israel in the report.

It was the number of political backings you can get that determined the allegations made against countries and they are not based on right and wrong, the Ambassador said.

“Currently Israel is closely following the development activities in Sri Lankan from which both countries can benefit greatly,” he said. He said Israel will work closely with Sri Lanka in the agricultural sector and will set up a model farm in the country with the use of Israeli technology. He said two locations have already been identified to grow Potatoes and Mangoes at a large scale. He said Israeli technology will be used to enhance the growth of crops and teach farmer simple technologies that can be used.

He said the pilot project for Sri Lankan labour in Israel that was carried out recently was a success and that the project will continue in the coming years. “This has proved to be the most successful bilateral project that we have had so far,” he said. He squashed speculation that there were salary discrepancies stating that the minimum salary in Israel was $1,100 and that agricultural workers were paid far more. “The workers have also expressed their interest in going back to work in Israel,” he said.