The Spokesman for the Israeli Consulate in New York flatly denied Thursday that Israel’s Consul-General in New York decided to allow the New Israel Fund to take part in the Celebrate Israel parade,which is to be held on May 31.

The claim is a false one, he said, “if only due to the fact that the Consulate has no authority or permission or standing to make or reject such a decision, because the parade is not produced by the Consulate, but by the Jewish group JCRC, which is supported by the UJA Federation.”

At no point did any of the parade’s organizers consult with the Consulate or with someone acting on its behalf regarding the NIF’s participation, stated the Spokesman, “and never, ever, did the Consul-General, or someone on his behalf, or any of the Consulate’s employees, say anything favoring the NIF’s participation, either explicitly or implicitly, in a hinted manner or in public, in secret or openly.”

“Any statement that may have been made by anyone, which presents a different reality from the above stated, is a false one,” the Consulate emphasized.