A diplomatic crisis is brewing between Israel and Brazil over the controversial appointment of the next ambassador to Brasilia.
Dani Dayan, a resident of the Ma’aleh Shomron settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and a former leader of the pro-settler Yesha Council, was appointed as Israel’s ambassador to Brazil by the country’s cabinet four months ago.
However, Brazilian officials have refused to give the appointment the green light, declining to respond with the usual diplomatic agreement.
Following a meeting on Sunday, Israel’s deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotoveli threatened to downgrade diplomatic ties with Brazil.
“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,” she said.
She also added that the Israeli foreign ministry will “use all the tools at its disposal” in order to ramp up the diplomatic and public pressure on Brazil.
Israel’s former foreign and justice minister Tzipi Livni on Monday said that Mr Dayan’s delayed appointment is due to his affiliation with the settler movement.
“Dani Dayan’s delayed appointment as ambassador to Brazil is not a form of personal harassment – but rather opposition to Israel’s policies about the settlements,” the Israeli media quoted her as saying.
Last week, Brazil’s former foreign and defence minister Celso Amorim told Brazilian daily Folha that the appointment of Mr Dayan is “not possible”, according to current Brazilian policy.
“To accept as ambassador a person who was a leader of settlement policies in Israel would be a tacit acceptance of this policy, which Brazil opposes. It’s not possible to approve this ambassador.”
Alon Lavi, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, declined to comment on the controversial appointment, but told the Telegraph that “bilateral relations with Brazil are strong and very important for Israel”.
Brazil is the country’s biggest trade partner in South America.
“We can’t continue to be overly dependent on Israeli technology. It’s time to diversify our suppliers,” Mr Amorim said, commenting on the possible consequences of the debacle.
But criticism over the Mr Dayan appointment also came from former Israeli diplomats. In September, three former ambassadors held a meetings with the Brazilian ambassadors to Israel and the Palestinian territories, asking the government not to approve the appointment.
“We told them that Dayan is the foreign minister of the settlements,” Alon Liel, Israel’s former ambassador to South Africa, told Haaretz.