29 dec 2018
Netanyahu and Bolsonaro in the local Synagogue
Netanyahu met with Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, but no embassy move was announced during the meeting; Bolsonaro: ‘I’ll visit Israel by March.’
Brazil's far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday and while both pledged to deepen ties, there was no announcement as some anticipated of Brazil moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Netanyahu, the first Israeli prime minister to visit Brazil, flew in to Rio de Janeiro to meet with Bolsonaro, an ideological ally who takes office on Jan. 1 after his election victory in October. The two men had lunch in a fort on Copacabana beach before delivering statements.
"Israel is the promised land. Brazil is the land of promise," said Netanyahu, adding that Israel could help in areas such as economics, security, agriculture and water resources.
Bolsonaro pledged he would visit Israel by March as a way to thank Netanyahu for the gesture.
"We will be starting a difficult government from January, but Brazil has potential," Bolsonaro said. "So that we can overcome obstacles, we need good allies, good friends, good brothers, like Benjamin Netanyahu."
The two also visited a synagogue among tight security including snipers on nearby roofs, where Netanyahu emphasized his hopes the two countries could operate in a more aligned and friendly manner in the future.
Bolsonaro and top aides have repeatedly said he would move Brazil's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but since his election he has come under pressure to ditch the idea from powerful backers in the agricultural sector, who fear the decision would hurt their halal meat sales in Arab countries.
The Arab League had told Bolsonaro that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would be a setback for relations with Arab countries, according to a letter seen by Reuters earlier in December.
Such a move by Bolsonaro would be a sharp shift in Brazilian foreign policy as it was for the United States when President Donald Trump relocated the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in May. Brazil has traditionally backed a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some political observers had speculated that Bolsonaro would use Netanyahu's visit as the perfect way to make the announcement.
Bolsonaro discussed Israel during a meeting in Rio with Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, late last month.
Although Bolsonaro could well make the announcement at a later stage, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Friday the U.S. government expected him to eventually make the move.
"We also welcome President-elect Bolsonaro's comments regarding moving the Brazilian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in support of Israel's sovereign right to have its capital of Jerusalem recognized by nations around the world. We look forward to welcoming many more of our friends and allies in Jerusalem," the official said.
Netanyahu met with Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, but no embassy move was announced during the meeting; Bolsonaro: ‘I’ll visit Israel by March.’
Brazil's far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday and while both pledged to deepen ties, there was no announcement as some anticipated of Brazil moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Netanyahu, the first Israeli prime minister to visit Brazil, flew in to Rio de Janeiro to meet with Bolsonaro, an ideological ally who takes office on Jan. 1 after his election victory in October. The two men had lunch in a fort on Copacabana beach before delivering statements.
"Israel is the promised land. Brazil is the land of promise," said Netanyahu, adding that Israel could help in areas such as economics, security, agriculture and water resources.
Bolsonaro pledged he would visit Israel by March as a way to thank Netanyahu for the gesture.
"We will be starting a difficult government from January, but Brazil has potential," Bolsonaro said. "So that we can overcome obstacles, we need good allies, good friends, good brothers, like Benjamin Netanyahu."
The two also visited a synagogue among tight security including snipers on nearby roofs, where Netanyahu emphasized his hopes the two countries could operate in a more aligned and friendly manner in the future.
Bolsonaro and top aides have repeatedly said he would move Brazil's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but since his election he has come under pressure to ditch the idea from powerful backers in the agricultural sector, who fear the decision would hurt their halal meat sales in Arab countries.
The Arab League had told Bolsonaro that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would be a setback for relations with Arab countries, according to a letter seen by Reuters earlier in December.
Such a move by Bolsonaro would be a sharp shift in Brazilian foreign policy as it was for the United States when President Donald Trump relocated the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in May. Brazil has traditionally backed a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some political observers had speculated that Bolsonaro would use Netanyahu's visit as the perfect way to make the announcement.
Bolsonaro discussed Israel during a meeting in Rio with Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, late last month.
Although Bolsonaro could well make the announcement at a later stage, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Friday the U.S. government expected him to eventually make the move.
"We also welcome President-elect Bolsonaro's comments regarding moving the Brazilian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in support of Israel's sovereign right to have its capital of Jerusalem recognized by nations around the world. We look forward to welcoming many more of our friends and allies in Jerusalem," the official said.
Israeli's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said that he would push the Brazilian president-elect Jair Bolsonaro to transfer his country's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
This was voiced in a press conference ahead of Netanyahu's meeting with Bolsonaro, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
Netanyahu met with Jair Bolsonaro for lunch in Rio de Janeiro on Friday in a first-ever visit to Brazil by an Israeli prime minister.
The Brazilian president-elect, speaking to Israel Hayom newspaper in early November, said that he intends to move his country's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem following the steps of Guatemala and the United States.
A week later, showing some reluctance, Bolsonaro said that the final decision has not been made yet.
Netanyahu is trying to complete what the US president Donald Trump has started when he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017 and moved his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018.
This was voiced in a press conference ahead of Netanyahu's meeting with Bolsonaro, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
Netanyahu met with Jair Bolsonaro for lunch in Rio de Janeiro on Friday in a first-ever visit to Brazil by an Israeli prime minister.
The Brazilian president-elect, speaking to Israel Hayom newspaper in early November, said that he intends to move his country's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem following the steps of Guatemala and the United States.
A week later, showing some reluctance, Bolsonaro said that the final decision has not been made yet.
Netanyahu is trying to complete what the US president Donald Trump has started when he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017 and moved his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018.
28 dec 2018
Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon addresses the Security Council on January 25, 2018
The United States and Israel have planned to block an upcoming Palestinian statehood initiative at the United Nations Security Council.
“We are preparing to stop the initiative,” said Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon in a statement on Thursday.
Danon said his delegation is working with the US administration to counter the Palestinian move.
The Israeli official expressed frustration about the initiative, accusing the Palestinian Authority of “paying salaries to terrorists each month” and having the “audacity” to apply for UN state membership.
“Instead of focusing on building a better and more hopeful future for the Palestinians and helping to ensure stability in the region, the Palestinian leadership is continuing its destructive policies that have encouraged recent terror attacks”, the Israeli envoy claimed.
Danon made the remarks after Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki announced on Wednesday that he intends to initiate an application for UN state membership in mid-January.
Earlier this year, the UN General Assembly voted, by an overwhelming majority, to temporarily grant the “State of Palestine” additional rights and privileges, allowing it to head the "Group of 77", the biggest bloc of developing countries at the UN.
The PA will take over leadership of the group in January. Al-Malki plans to initiate the UN membership application at the related event in mid-January, according to various Palestinian media sources.
The last time the PA had applied for full UN membership was in 2011. UN membership requires approval from at least 9 of the UNSC's 15 members.
The Security Council, however, did not reach such an agreement at the time, and instead recommended that the General Assembly give Palestine the status of a non-member observer state.
Consequently, Palestine's status was upgraded to an observer state after winning 138 favorable votes at the General Assembly on November 29, 2012.
Only 9 countries opposed the measure.
Decisions made at the General Assembly cannot be vetoed by any of the other five permanent council members, including the US.
The US is, however, expected to veto any upcoming Palestinian statehood resolution at the UNSC.
Unilateral statehood for Palestine
The PA's new initiative contrasts with that of past negotiations, such as the Oslo Accords, where Palestinian statehood was to be considered only after a final status agreement with Israel was achieved.
The push for unilateral statehood recognition comes as many believe Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have been clearly undermined by illegal Israeli settlement construction and other such violations.
The anticipated Palestinian move comes as US President Donald Trump has yet to unveil his so-called “Deal of the Century”, the president's allegedly new Middle East road map.
The controversial proposal, which has been described to be in line with the US' recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital last year, has drawn condemnation from many Palestinian and international figures.
The United States and Israel have planned to block an upcoming Palestinian statehood initiative at the United Nations Security Council.
“We are preparing to stop the initiative,” said Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon in a statement on Thursday.
Danon said his delegation is working with the US administration to counter the Palestinian move.
The Israeli official expressed frustration about the initiative, accusing the Palestinian Authority of “paying salaries to terrorists each month” and having the “audacity” to apply for UN state membership.
“Instead of focusing on building a better and more hopeful future for the Palestinians and helping to ensure stability in the region, the Palestinian leadership is continuing its destructive policies that have encouraged recent terror attacks”, the Israeli envoy claimed.
Danon made the remarks after Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki announced on Wednesday that he intends to initiate an application for UN state membership in mid-January.
Earlier this year, the UN General Assembly voted, by an overwhelming majority, to temporarily grant the “State of Palestine” additional rights and privileges, allowing it to head the "Group of 77", the biggest bloc of developing countries at the UN.
The PA will take over leadership of the group in January. Al-Malki plans to initiate the UN membership application at the related event in mid-January, according to various Palestinian media sources.
The last time the PA had applied for full UN membership was in 2011. UN membership requires approval from at least 9 of the UNSC's 15 members.
The Security Council, however, did not reach such an agreement at the time, and instead recommended that the General Assembly give Palestine the status of a non-member observer state.
Consequently, Palestine's status was upgraded to an observer state after winning 138 favorable votes at the General Assembly on November 29, 2012.
Only 9 countries opposed the measure.
Decisions made at the General Assembly cannot be vetoed by any of the other five permanent council members, including the US.
The US is, however, expected to veto any upcoming Palestinian statehood resolution at the UNSC.
Unilateral statehood for Palestine
The PA's new initiative contrasts with that of past negotiations, such as the Oslo Accords, where Palestinian statehood was to be considered only after a final status agreement with Israel was achieved.
The push for unilateral statehood recognition comes as many believe Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have been clearly undermined by illegal Israeli settlement construction and other such violations.
The anticipated Palestinian move comes as US President Donald Trump has yet to unveil his so-called “Deal of the Century”, the president's allegedly new Middle East road map.
The controversial proposal, which has been described to be in line with the US' recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital last year, has drawn condemnation from many Palestinian and international figures.
27 dec 2018
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Senior staffer at Israeli embassy in Madrid protests over exhibition entitled 'Operation Vengeance,' that shows soldiers clad in olive green holding Israeli flag; museum claims 'the soldiers are the good guys.'
A Lego exhibit claiming to show Jewish revenge against the Nazis in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust has been removed in Spain after a senior Israeli diplomat complained of anti-Semitism. The exhibit, entitled "Operation Vengeance" showcased Lego figures of soldiers wearing the Israeli flag on their uniforms pointing weapons at civilians. But the Israeli symbols were removed from the display Tuesday, following an outcry from Deputy Chief of Mission Assaf Moran. |
The display in central Madrid is part of the "I Love Lego" exhibition in the city's Gaviria Palace and was spotted by Moran during a trip with his children.
Moran complained to the exhibition's organizers who, in turn, presented him with the exhibit's explanatory notes, which said that it depicted "an historical event" from the days after the war ended.
"Operation Vengeance is a spectacular diorama (3D model) of an historical event that took place in 1945 in Priuli, northern Italy. The reconstructed scene symbolizes vengeance attacks carried out by the anti-Nazi brigades," the note read.
But Moran pointed out that the display showcases Israeli soldiers three years before the Jewish state was established. Therefore, claimed the diplomat, the exhibition was distorting history and misleading the public.
"There is a double lie here: First, the exhibit shows Israeli soldiers pointing guns at civilians without providing any context. Therefore, the exhibition's visitors perceive Israel as a violent and aggressive state," Moran said.
"The second explanation actually provides a kind of justification for the exhibition, only it is completely false and certainly does not justify having Israeli flags at a time when the Jewish state had not yet been established. If there were soldiers that carried out vengeance attacks against the Nazis, they were wearing British uniforms," Moran added.
Following the diplomat's complaints, the director of the museum removed all Israeli references from the exhibit.
This is not the first time that a European exhibit has offended Israeli sensibilities.
In 2004, then-Israeli Ambassador to Sweden Zvi Mazel destroyed an exhibit in Stockholm that appeared to glorify suicide bombings in Israel, which were then at a height.
The installation, entitled "Snow White and the Madness of Truth," was comprised of a pool of water colored to look like blood, on which floated a small boat labeled "Snow White" bearing a picture of Hanadi Jaradat, who carried out a suicide attack at the Maxim restaurant in Haifa in 2003, killing 21 people.
Mazel, who was invited to the opening, destroyed the installation in fury, sparking a diplomatic furor. The diplomat, however, was unrepentant.
Moran complained to the exhibition's organizers who, in turn, presented him with the exhibit's explanatory notes, which said that it depicted "an historical event" from the days after the war ended.
"Operation Vengeance is a spectacular diorama (3D model) of an historical event that took place in 1945 in Priuli, northern Italy. The reconstructed scene symbolizes vengeance attacks carried out by the anti-Nazi brigades," the note read.
But Moran pointed out that the display showcases Israeli soldiers three years before the Jewish state was established. Therefore, claimed the diplomat, the exhibition was distorting history and misleading the public.
"There is a double lie here: First, the exhibit shows Israeli soldiers pointing guns at civilians without providing any context. Therefore, the exhibition's visitors perceive Israel as a violent and aggressive state," Moran said.
"The second explanation actually provides a kind of justification for the exhibition, only it is completely false and certainly does not justify having Israeli flags at a time when the Jewish state had not yet been established. If there were soldiers that carried out vengeance attacks against the Nazis, they were wearing British uniforms," Moran added.
Following the diplomat's complaints, the director of the museum removed all Israeli references from the exhibit.
This is not the first time that a European exhibit has offended Israeli sensibilities.
In 2004, then-Israeli Ambassador to Sweden Zvi Mazel destroyed an exhibit in Stockholm that appeared to glorify suicide bombings in Israel, which were then at a height.
The installation, entitled "Snow White and the Madness of Truth," was comprised of a pool of water colored to look like blood, on which floated a small boat labeled "Snow White" bearing a picture of Hanadi Jaradat, who carried out a suicide attack at the Maxim restaurant in Haifa in 2003, killing 21 people.
Mazel, who was invited to the opening, destroyed the installation in fury, sparking a diplomatic furor. The diplomat, however, was unrepentant.
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