US National Security Adviser says sorry for Jewish joke

WASHINGTON - US National Security Adviser, Lt. Gen (retired) James Jones, has apologized for a Jewish joke that he made last week to kick off an address.

According to a Christian Science Monitor (CSM) report, when Lt. Gen. Jones made the joke, the room erupted in laughter at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a pro-Israel organization.

Apparently not everyone in the room was amused, and by Monday, when the Israeli paper Haaretz published a story, a full-fledged international incident was born.n Monday, Jones issued an apology. In addition, the White House did not include the off-the-cuff joke in its official transcript of his remarks.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs denied any cover-up.

“It was obviously an on-camera speech. There was no attempt to deceive,” Gibbs said as per a Fox News report.

“I wish that I had not made this off the cuff joke at the top of my remarks, and I apologize to anyone who was offended by it. It also distracted from the larger message I carried that day: that the United States commitment to Israel’s security is sacrosanct,” Jones said. (ANI)