Israel Calls Brazil “Diplomatic Dwarf” And Childishly Brings Up World Cup — Guess Why? AUTHOR: JUSTIN ACUFF JULY 26, 2014 7:28 PM Brazil has become the second nation, the first being Ecuador, to pull their ambassador from Tel Aviv in response to the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip by Israel Defense Forces. Israel’s response has been strangely childish — they denounced Brazil as an economic power but “diplomatic dwarf” and even referenced the 7-1 loss to Germany in the semifinals of the World Cup. Diplomatic relations between the two nations have been at odds since 2010, when Brazil recognized a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders. After Brazil’s decision, a number of other south American nations followed suit. The international community, aside from certain western nations (the United States included), largely supports a Palestinian state. Israel has been occupying Palestinian land in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and east Jerusalem for decades. Regardless of he said/she said arguments about whether Hamas or Israel is more responsible for conflict, the fact remains that Israel is a far more powerful force, and refuses to listen to any terms that don’t include total capitulation by Palestinians. The usual response to a calls for a Palestinian state is that asking for such is somehow “detrimental to the peace process,” meaning, “we’re not willing to do that and you’re stupid for asking.” Citing agreements in the past that “peace will be achieved through negotiation,” Israel has refused to consider anything that isn’t strictly in its favor, and continues illegal occupation. Israel has far more power to work for peace with Palestine than they let on, and many members of the international community recognize that fact. From the Jerusalem Post: A statement put out by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday announcing the recall of its ambassador said Brazil considered the “escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine” as unacceptable. “We strongly condemn the disproportionate use of force by Israel in the Gaza Strip.” Israel’s response has been less than kind. First, their general consul in São Paulo, Yoel Barnea, called their position “not balanced” and added, per usual rhetoric, that Israel has a right to defend itself from “hundreds of rockets” fired by groups from Gaza. Never mind that this is pretty much the only conflict in history where one side counts shots fired and the other counts dead bodies. Then Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor, according to the Jerusalem Post article linked above, the following: “This is an unfortunate demonstration of why Brazil, an economic and cultural giant, remains a diplomatic dwarf,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor. “The moral relativism behind this move makes Brazil an irrelevant diplomatic partner, one who creates problems rather than contributes to solutions.” He went on to add, according to the Washington Post, “Israel’s response is perfectly proportioned in accordance with international law,” Palmor said in an interview with the Jornal Nacional TV show late Thursday. “This is not football. In football, when a game ends in a draw, you think it is proportional, but when it finishes 7-1 it’s disproportionate. Sorry to say, but not so in real life and under international law.” International law also doesn’t allow extended illegal occupation. Brazil was one of 29 nations to recently vote for a UN probe into Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip. The resolution, made under pressure from Palestinians, passed with 17 abstaining and one “no” from the United States. Israel provides a valuable military foothold for the US in the middle east, so the US is frequently the only nation defending their actions. That vote was called a “travesty” by Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the United Nations Human Rights Council a “kangaroo court.” Because if you don’t agree with Israel and the United States, you’re obviously wrong by definition.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:33:18 +0000
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