Israel threatens Brazil with cold diplomacy unless it
accepts settler ambassador
Published time: 28 Dec, 2015 15:53Edited time: 28 Dec,
2015 17:31
A general view of the West Bank Jewish settlement of
Maale Adumim © Ammar Awad / Reuters
Israel has warned Brazil that relations will
deteriorate unless it accepts the former Israeli head of the West Bank
settlement program as ambassador. The appointment was made four months ago and
has still not been approved by Brazil’s government.
The country has continuously failed to give in to
diplomatic pressure, leading Israel to up the stakes and issue threats.
Brazilian refusals have gone on since August, when the
political appointment was made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The main sticking point for Brazilian opposition to
the appointment is the fact that Dani Dayan – the nominee – lives in the
occupied West Bank, as well as being the former head of the Council of Jewish
Communities of Judea and Samaria.
Like most of the international community, Brazil’s
leftist government believes the building of Israeli settlements on occupied
Palestinian land to be illegal. But condemnation at all levels has not resulted
in any action on the part of Israel.
Reda Mansour, Israel’s previous ambassador, left
Brasilia last week, and now the Israelis are warning that if Dayan does not
replace him, there will be consequences for bilateral relations.
Dani Dayan © Wikipedia
"The State of Israel will leave the level of
diplomatic relations with Brazil at the secondary level if the appointment of
Dani Dayan is not confirmed," Deputy
Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said in an interview to Israel’s Channel 10,
according to Reuters. Israel has refused to nominate another candidate for the
position.
Hotovely then said Israel would continue to press
Brasilia through various means, including the Brazilian Jewish community, as
well as direct appeals from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is one of
the more outspoken defenders of Israel’s settlement-building in the West Bank.
According to Hotovely, as cited by the Jerusalem Post,
this lobbying will take place with the aim of showing that Dayan is“a man
who is respectable, worthy, and accepted across Israel’s political spectrum.”
Hotovely added that in the event of Brazil’s refusal,
there will be “a crisis in relations between the two countries, and it
is not worth going there.”
There has been no comment yet from President Dilma
Rousseff on whether Brasilia would cave to Israeli demands, but a senior source
in the Foreign Ministry told Reuters they “do not see that happening.” And
if Dayan is not, in fact, named the next ambassador, the only real alternative
will be to have the next highest-ranking official acting in his stead.
Dayan for months remained silent, but on Saturday, in
an interview to Channel 2, attributed Brazil’s refusal to “classic BDS”–
or boycott, divestment and sanctions. He believes the entire situation owes
itself to pressure from Israeli activists, Palestinians and select circles in
Brazil.
Tensions between the two countries have been on the
rise since the last administration, when Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva worked to
warm Brazilian ties with Iran. They rose further last year when an Israeli
Foreign Ministry spokesman labeled Brazil “a diplomatic dwarf.” This
was after Brasilia recalled its ambassador from Israel as a show of protest
over the continuing military offensive in Gaza.
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