Israel withdraws its ambassador from Austria

Israel has withdrawn its ambassador from Austria in preparation to cutting relations with it, despite the denunciation expressed by Austrian political, media and diplomatic circles over Israel's intervention in the internal affairs of Austria.

In an interview with the Israel Hebrew language radio on Wednesday, the Israeli foreign minister David Levy said that the withdrawal of the ambassador came in protest of what he had called the joining of the "Freedom Party" to the governmental coalition in Austria.

Meantime, the divan of the Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak has threatened Austria by saying that Israel will not keep silence over the formation of the new Austrian government which has in its coalition the Freedom Party led by Jorg Haidar.