Switzerland’s Foreign Ministry expressed regret Friday, after a Swiss envoy showed a political cartoon of doves defecating on Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to a conference promoting Iranian business interests in Zurich.
Guilio Haas, the Swiss envoy to Iran, displayed the image to hundreds of Swiss and Iranian businessmen on Thursday.
The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) deemed the cartoon “questionable” and “tasteless,” stating that Haas had used the image without their knowledge.
“Ambassador Haas did not intend to insult anybody with the cartoon,” the FDFA said. “If that is the case, however, he regrets it and seeks the pardon of everyone who could have felt insulted.”
The original cartoon is a commentary on the Iranian nuclear deal, according to Reuters, which was forged between the US, Iran, and various world powers. Netanyahu has vehemently opposed the deal since its inception.
Haas used the cartoon in a presentation entitled “Iran: now or never,” stating the deal’s strike against Israel provides “the opportunity to asses the market.”
The Israeli embassy has not yet responded to media requests for comment on the issue.
