Swastikas and Nazi slogans were gouged around Jewish graves in New Zealand a day after it imposed diplomatic sanctions on Israel over two suspected spies who tried to obtain a passport by fraud.
Sixteen graves were attacked overnight in the Jewish part of a cemetery in Wellington that dates to the 1880s.
"Someone's used some sort of stick or tool to gouge swastikas into the grass around the graves. Words like 'Sieg Heil' have been scratched into the footpath," he said.
The head of the New Zealand Jewish Council said the desecration of the graves was linked to the passport case and the resulting sanctions against Israel.
"I think there is a direct connection between the very strong expressions against Israel and people here feeling they can take it out on Jews," Mr David Zwartz told National Radio. "It seems to me Israel-bashing one day, Jew-bashing the next day."
New Zealand has frozen all high-level contact between the two countries and said the two men, jailed for six months, were linked to Israel's intelligence services.
Prime Minister Helen Clark said it was not known whether the vandalism was connected to the court case. She said Israel's offer of an informal apology for the passport affair was not enough.
Israel's Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said yesterday Israel was sorry about the incident, and would seek to restore relations.
Ms Clark said it was possible Israel would wait until the two men had served their sentences before offering any apology.