Israel withdraws Mosley invite

The country's Minister of Science, Culture and Sport, Galeb Majadle, had extended the invitation to Mosley after meeting him during a visit to the World Rally Championship even in Jordan.

However, after media inquiries, the government ministry issued an official statement saying the invitation had been withdrawn 'immediately'.

The statement said: "The Minister for Science, Culture and Sport, Galeb Majadle, who is now in Jordan attending the WRC's Jordan Rally, met during the course of his visit with the president of the FIA, Mr Max Mosley.

"Their discussions were on the issues of motorsport in Israel, which is in its starting stages, and the support it receives from the FIA; and the suggestion that the FIA will follow closely the development of this sport in Israel.

"The Minister, who was not at all aware of the scandal currently surrounding Mosley's name, would like to make it now clear that his invitation was not intended to be personal to Mosley himself but rather to the representative of the FIA as a global organization.

"In any event, once the scandal was brought to the Minister's attention, he has requested to withdraw immediately any official invitation to Mosley until the matter is reviewed more thoroughly once back in Israel." (emphasis in original)

Mosley has made his first public appearance in Jordan since the controversy caused by revelations about his private life in the News of the World.

He told autosport.com this morning that he would attend the Monaco Grand Prix as planned, and insisted that his visit to Jordan was not because he was avoiding Formula One.

"I came to Jordan because of the political importance of this event - that's why I went to Rally Ireland last year and that's why I go to events."