THE Israeli ambassador to Australia has been rebuked for reportedly referring to Asians as "the yellow race" with "slanted eyes".

Naftali Tamir was reported to have made the comments during an interview with Israel's Haaretz newspaper, in which he made his case for greater co-operation between his country and Australia.

"Israel and Australia are like sisters in Asia," Mr Tamir was quoted as saying. "We are in Asia without the characteristics of Asians. We don't have yellow skin and slanted eyes. Asia is basically the yellow race. Australia and Israel are not - we are basically the white race."

Speaking in Jerusalem last night, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ilana Ravid said officials were checking whether the ambassador had been quoted accurately.

"If they are accurate, these are grave and inappropriate expressions that the Foreign Ministry will not allow to pass without a response," she said.

Ministry officials said Mr Tamir was on a flight to Australia and had not yet been reached for clarification.

According to Haaretz, the ministry said it would not return to business as usual if an internal examination confirmed that Mr Tamir made the comments attributed to him.

Mr Tamir met Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni during the week, emphasising the potential for developing trade and other links in Asia through Australia.

Mr Tamir told Haaretz he did not raise the subject of reopening the Israeli consulate in Sydney during the meeting.

The consulate's closure after budget cuts four years ago was fiercely protested by Australia's Jewish community, which offered to finance its operations to keep it open.

"I am very much in support of reopening the consulate," Mr Tamir told the newspaper.

"But at the present time, due to budgetary limitations - which are even greater than they were before - it's simply not feasible."

A career diplomat who served in Tokyo, Washington, Strasbourg and as ambassador in Finland, Mr Tamir is also Israel's non-resident ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Zealand.

AP