JERUSALEM, Sept. 3 (JTA) — Infighting among Israeli
officials regarding who would attend Princess Diana’s funeral Saturday
has apparently been a waste of time. The British Foreign Ministry announced that VIP invitations are being extended only to people who knew the princess personally, to representatives of countries she visited or to charitable organizations with which she was associated. Exceptions were to be made for members of the British Commonwealth. A spokesperson for the British Embassy in Jerusalem stated that Israel, “like many other countries,” fits into none of these categories, according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who sent his condolences immediately after Diana’s death, was prepared to dispatch his wife, Sara, to the funeral, Ha’aretz reported. A potential dispute was in the making, the paper added, when officials at the President’s Office said that President Ezer Weizman should attend.
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