"Israelis are a nation of spies and drug dealers", according to New Zealand immigration officials speaking to the Jewish Agency treasurer Shai Hermesh upon his arrival there, reported Army Radio Saturday.

Hermesh and his assistant were detained and searched by airport officials for 3 hours after their arrival in Auckland in spite of the fact that Hermesh presented a diplomatic passport.

The immigration officer at the airport explained his actions saying the two raised suspicion due to their arrival from a terror-inflicted country and last month's arrest of two Israelis suspected of being Mossad operatives.