Israeli minister's wife apologises to Obama for racist tweet

The wife of Israeli Interior Minister Silvan Shalom apologised to US President Barack Obama on Sunday after tweeting an inappropriate joke about him on her Twitter account. Judy Shalom Nir-Mozes, who has 74,400 followers, tweeted, “Do you know what Obama Coffee is? Black and weak.”

She was criticised immediately, so she deleted the tweet, before tweeting in English, “I apologise, that was a stupid joke somebody told me.” She also tweeted directly to the American president, apologising to him about the joke and saying that she respected all people, regardless of their race or religion.

“I am sorry if I caused any offence to anyone,” she added. “I hope I will stay married when my husband will land [sic] and hear what I did.”

Her husband is a member of the Likud Party and also holds the portfolio responsible for relations with the US.