President Pranab Mukherjee left several Israeli politicians baffled when he referred to the Arabian cuisine Hummus during his speech. In his thick Bengali accent, Mukherjee remarked that "Indians enjoy the taste of Hummus," which is an Israeli food dip made from chickpeas and is extremely popular in the Middle East.
However, many in the audience heard it as "Indians enjoy the taste of Hamas," which is a Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza strip and is a sworn enemy of Israel.
A correspondent from The Hindu who was present at the event claimed that at this slip many Israeli MPs exchanged a puzzled look with each other.
Mukherjee, who was addressing the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem on Wednesday, did not notice the slip and moved on with his speech.
Mukherjee, who is the first Indian President to visit Israel, crossed over from Palestine after an overnight visit.
In his speech, the President said: "We are distressed at the recent violence. India condemns all forms of terrorism. We have always sought a peaceful resolution of disputes."
