Deputy Minister of National Defense Andrew Yang (楊念祖) yesterday visited Israeli Representative to Taiwan Simona Halperin to offer an apology for the ministry’s publication of a photo of three students wearing Nazi army uniforms.
The visit came one day after the ministry apologized for the matter, which came to light after media reports on Thursday that prompted a statement from Halperin, who called it a “regretful incident.”
During the 20-minute closed-door meeting with Halperin, chief of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, Yang presented her with a letter from Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱).
Talking to reporters afterwards, Halperin said she very much appreciated the response of the Ministry of National Defense and the government over the incident.
“I am positive it was a mistake of ignorance and not intention,” she said.
Halperin once again stressed the importance of education and expressed her office’s willingness to work with any relevant authority in Taiwan to help develop educational programs on the Holocaust for all Taiwanese.
Speaking to reporters separately, Yang said the ministry would improve its education on modern history to ensure its personnel represent values of human dignity and respect.
The photograph that featured three students in World War II German Waffen-SS uniforms, with another person dressed in a military camouflage uniform making a “V” sign with his hand, was taken and released by the ministry’s Military News Agency on Monday.
The photo was taken at the ministry’s Armor Training Command and Armor School and the three students were there to register for a summer camp organized by the ministry.
Asked what impact the incident may have had on relations between Israel and Taiwan, Halperin said her country would continue to develop its relations with Taiwan in both educational or humanity programs, adding that the incident would strengthen cooperation in education.
“People make mistakes. It happens, but [we should] fix it. What is important is the attitude afterwards and how we handle the mistake,” Halperin said.
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