Israel trashes branding of its soldiers in Goa as dehumanised

"The statement made by a part of the Church in Goa is full of nonsense. Those who did research were not even priests and no one gave them right to conduct the study," Orna Sagiv, Consul General of Israel in Mumbai, told PTI here.

Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), a social arm of the Catholic church in Goa, recently claimed that Israeli youth who vacation in Goa after compulsory stint in the army were "dehumanised".

The study by CSJP was compiled in 2009 on the basis of field inputs by young priests-in-waiting who hit Goa's narcotics party scene "undercover".

"I asked Archbishop (of Goa) and he said that in no way the observations can be attributed to the Church," Sagiv said.

Goa has been a preferred holiday spot for the Israeli soldiers after their compulsory military duties.

Responding to a question, Sagiv conceded that some Israelis holidaying in Goa might be involved in drugs trade. "I would not deny that some are involved but at the same time people of other nationality are also involved," she said.

Two Israeli nationals