Israel
calls Brazil a ‘diplomatic dwarf’ – and then brings up World Cup humiliation
In a statement on
Wednesday, Brazil condemned what it said was a "disproportionate use
of force" by Israel in its Gaza Strip offensive by pulling out its
ambassador from Tel Aviv for "consultation." The country is the
second country to recall its ambassador from Israel; Ecuador did so earlier in
the week.
At first, the
official reaction from Israel appeared sanguine. "Brazil is a friend, but
we think its position is not balanced," Israel's general consul in São
Paulo, Yoel Barnea, said according to the Wall Street Journal, adding that
Israel should have a right to defend itself from the thousands of missiles
being fired at it by Hamas and other Palestinian groups.
Things soon took
a turn for the worse. “This is an unfortunate demonstration of why Brazil, an
economic and cultural giant, remains a diplomatic dwarf,” Israeili Foreign
Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said on Thursday, the Jerusalem Post reports.
“The moral relativism behind this move makes Brazil an irrelevant diplomatic
partner, one who creates problems rather than contributes to solutions.”
That insult
wasn't the worst that Israel had reserved for Brazil, however. In an interview
with the Brazilian media, Palmor brought up the most humiliating moment in
recent Brazilian history – this summer's stunning World Cup semifinal loss to
Germany.
"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."
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