President in Israel: Moment of confusion when Hummus was heard Hamas

Jerusalem, Oct 15: Pranab Mukherjee, the first Indian president to visit Israel, astonished MPs when he spoke about "Hummus" and they heard it Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, while addressing them here.

Hummus is a Levantine and Egyptian food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic.

Israeli politicians started looking each other when President Mukherjee said that the people in India like the taste of hummus which he pronounced like Hamas.

President was accorded a ceremonial reception by his Israeli counterpart, Reuven Rivlin.

He made a reference to the recent violence which has led to heavy Palestinian and Israeli casualties.

"We are distressed at the recent violence. India condemns all forms of terrorism. We have always sought a peaceful resolution of disputes," said president Mukherjee.

President had been subjected to criticism by the Israeli media for not speaking against Palestinian "terrorism" in his speeches in Palestine.

OneIndia News