President Pranab Mukherjee unwittingly stumped a gathering of Israeli MPs today when he spoke about "Hummus" but sounded like he had referred to the Palestinian militant group.


Addressing the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, Mukherjee remarked that the Indian population "enjoys the taste of hummus," which is an Israeli favourite. He pronounced it like "Hamas", which had Israeli politicians looking at each other for a moment.


Mukherjee is the first Indian President to visit Israel. He crossed over from Palestine after an overnight visit. He made a reference to the recent violence which has led to heavy casualties on both sides, in his remarks at a ceremonial welcome at the home of his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin.


"We are distressed at the recent violence. India condemns all forms of terrorism. We have always sought a peaceful resolution of disputes," he said. Mukherjee had been subjected to criticism by the Israeli media for not speaking against Palestinian "terrorism" in his speeches in Palestine.