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| Chinese Ambassador Is Found Dead at Home in Israel | Chinese Ambassador Is Found Dead at Home in Israel |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| JERUSALEM — China’s ambassador to Israel, who took up his post in February, was found dead at his home on Sunday morning in a coastal suburb north of Tel Aviv, officials said. | JERUSALEM — China’s ambassador to Israel, who took up his post in February, was found dead at his home on Sunday morning in a coastal suburb north of Tel Aviv, officials said. |
| The ambassador, Du Wei, was found in his bed in Herzliya by an embassy worker, officials said. | The ambassador, Du Wei, was found in his bed in Herzliya by an embassy worker, officials said. |
| The cause of death of Mr. Du, 57, was not immediately clear. The Israeli police found no reason to suspect that the ambassador’s death had been the result of unnatural causes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. | |
| Investigators — including Chen Kugel, the head of Israel’s National Center of Forensic Medicine — declined to comment as they left the ambassador’s residence. | Investigators — including Chen Kugel, the head of Israel’s National Center of Forensic Medicine — declined to comment as they left the ambassador’s residence. |
| Mr. Du’s wife and son were not in Israel at the time, according to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Chinese Embassy could not be immediately reached for comment. | Mr. Du’s wife and son were not in Israel at the time, according to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Chinese Embassy could not be immediately reached for comment. |
| Mr. Du arrived in Israel on Feb. 15 and quarantined for two weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic before meeting officials of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 3. | Mr. Du arrived in Israel on Feb. 15 and quarantined for two weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic before meeting officials of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 3. |
| He sent his credentials to President Reuven Rivlin on March 23 rather than formally presenting them himself because of restrictions on face-to-face meetings, officials said. | He sent his credentials to President Reuven Rivlin on March 23 rather than formally presenting them himself because of restrictions on face-to-face meetings, officials said. |
| Mr. Du had served in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more than 30 years, according to a biography on the Chinese Embassy’s website. His first ambassadorship was to Ukraine, from 2016 to 2019. | Mr. Du had served in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more than 30 years, according to a biography on the Chinese Embassy’s website. His first ambassadorship was to Ukraine, from 2016 to 2019. |
| His stint in Israel put Mr. Du in the middle of an increasingly tense dynamic that is creating friction between Israel and the United States. China has been investing heavily in Israel in recent years, taking stakes in hundreds of technological start-ups and acquiring a controlling interest in the dairy food-processing company Tnuva. | His stint in Israel put Mr. Du in the middle of an increasingly tense dynamic that is creating friction between Israel and the United States. China has been investing heavily in Israel in recent years, taking stakes in hundreds of technological start-ups and acquiring a controlling interest in the dairy food-processing company Tnuva. |
| But Israel has antagonized Washington by allowing Chinese companies to make major infrastructure investments in recent years, including in sensitive locations. A company majority-owned by the Chinese government has signed a 25-year lease to run Israel’s commercial seaport in Haifa, a frequent port of call for the United States Navy, beginning in 2021. | But Israel has antagonized Washington by allowing Chinese companies to make major infrastructure investments in recent years, including in sensitive locations. A company majority-owned by the Chinese government has signed a 25-year lease to run Israel’s commercial seaport in Haifa, a frequent port of call for the United States Navy, beginning in 2021. |
| And near Israel’s Palmachim air force base, a Hong Kong-based company, Hutchison Water International, is a finalist to build a desalination plant that Israel says will be the largest in the world. | And near Israel’s Palmachim air force base, a Hong Kong-based company, Hutchison Water International, is a finalist to build a desalination plant that Israel says will be the largest in the world. |
| Trump administration officials have repeatedly warned Israeli officials that intelligence sharing between the two close allies could be impaired or compromised over such investments by China. | Trump administration officials have repeatedly warned Israeli officials that intelligence sharing between the two close allies could be impaired or compromised over such investments by China. |
| In April, Mr. Du gave a written interview to the Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon in which he insisted that China was a “responsible, rule-abiding and trustworthy country.” | In April, Mr. Du gave a written interview to the Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon in which he insisted that China was a “responsible, rule-abiding and trustworthy country.” |
| “The investment from China has no geopolitical agenda, no political strings, and poses no threat to Israel’s national security,” he wrote. | “The investment from China has no geopolitical agenda, no political strings, and poses no threat to Israel’s national security,” he wrote. |
| Mr. Du also compared the demonization of China over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic to the historic mistreatment of Jews. | Mr. Du also compared the demonization of China over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic to the historic mistreatment of Jews. |
| “It is scapegoating,” he told the newspaper. “In history, it has happened many times when the causes of diseases were wrongfully blamed on a specific group of people, which is despicable and should be condemned. The disease is the enemy of all mankind, and the world must fight it together.” | “It is scapegoating,” he told the newspaper. “In history, it has happened many times when the causes of diseases were wrongfully blamed on a specific group of people, which is despicable and should be condemned. The disease is the enemy of all mankind, and the world must fight it together.” |
| The subject came up again during Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Israel last week, when he repeated his accusation that China has withheld information that could have helped other countries save lives during the pandemic. | The subject came up again during Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Israel last week, when he repeated his accusation that China has withheld information that could have helped other countries save lives during the pandemic. |
| The Chinese Embassy’s spokesman responded with an Op-Ed article in The Jerusalem Post in which he called Mr. Pompeo’s remarks “absurd” and repeated the comparison to anti-Semitism. | The Chinese Embassy’s spokesman responded with an Op-Ed article in The Jerusalem Post in which he called Mr. Pompeo’s remarks “absurd” and repeated the comparison to anti-Semitism. |
| History “shows that pandemic is accompanied by conspiracies and the dark mentality of seeking scapegoats,” the spokesman, Wang Yongjun, wrote. “Jewish friends know it well.” | History “shows that pandemic is accompanied by conspiracies and the dark mentality of seeking scapegoats,” the spokesman, Wang Yongjun, wrote. “Jewish friends know it well.” |
| David M. Halbfinger reported from Jerusalem, and Adam Rasgon from Herzliya, Israel. | David M. Halbfinger reported from Jerusalem, and Adam Rasgon from Herzliya, Israel. |