Israeli President Calls Rousseff to Apologize for Comments Made by Spokesman

08/12/2014 - 09h00

The recently elected Israeli president, Reuven Rivlin, called President Rousseff on Monday (11) afternoon to apologize for comments made by Yigal Palmor, spokesman for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to Brazilian criticisms of Israel's recent Gaza offensive.

On July 17 and 23, Brazil released two statements criticizing Israeli military action in Gaza and expressing "solidarity" with the victims of the conflict "in Palestine and Israel."

In an angry response, Palmor labelled Brazil a "diplomatic dwarf".

He argued that the Brazilian position "shows why this economic and cultural giant remains politically irrelevant" and that Brazil had chosen "to be part of the problem, rather than contributing to a solution."

According to a note from the President's press team, Rivlin said that Palmor's statements "do not correspond to the feelings of the Israeli people in relation to Brazil."

In response, Rousseff referred to "the historic bonds that have united the two countries for decades", and reiterated the Brazilian support for peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine, as two economically sound, sovereign, and above all, safe countries.

Rivlin justified the military action in Gaza by referring to the rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas, the radical Islamist group that controls Gaza.

Rousseff said that "the Brazilian government condemns the attacks on Israel, but equally it condemns the disproportional use of force in Gaza."

Rousseff asked Rivlin to ensure that the current crisis may not be used as a pretext for racism, whether towards the Israelis or the Palestinians.

She also said she hopes that the ceasefire continues, and that negotiations between the two countries will bring peace to the region.

In the second statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brazil slammed the Israeli use of force as "disproportional", and summoned the Israeli ambassador in Brasília to give an explanation.

The Brazilian ambassador in Tel Aviv, Henrique Pinto, was also recalled.

This was not well received by Israel.

In response, it said it was "disappointed" with the recalling of the Brazilian ambassador, and said that the Brazilian position "does not reflect" the quality of relations between the two countries. It also accused Brazil of "ignoring Israel's right to self-defense".

"Israel expects the support of its allies in the fight against Hamas, a group recognized as a terrorist organization by many countries around the world," the statement added.

Palmor said in interviews that Israel's response was "perfectly proportional", and even mocked Brazil's recent humbling in the semifinal of the World Cup.

"This isn't football," he said. "When a match ends in a draw, you think it's proportional, but when it ends 7-1 then it's disproportional. But real life and international law aren't like this."

Translated by TOM GATEHOUSE

Read the article in the original language

	Ronen Zvulun /Reuters
	Israel's newly elected President, former minister and Knesset -Israel's parliament- speaker Reuven Rivlin