Palestine summons Brazil ambassador over Bolsonaro son's planned visit to Israeli settlement

Palestine summons Brazil ambassador over Bolsonaro son's planned visit to Israeli settlement
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Brazilian ambassador over a planned visit by far-right president Jair Bolsonaro's son to an illegal Israeli settlement.
2 min read
06 December, 2019
Eduardo Bolsonaro, who in April was seen wearing an Israeli military t-shirt [Getty]
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry summoned the Brazilian ambassador on Thursday in protest at a planned visit by far-right president Jair Bolsonaro's son to an Israeli settlement.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry issued a formal statement in which they stated the ambassador, Francisco Mauro Brasil de Holanda, had been summonned to their headquarters in Ramallah.

The move comes in light of a planned visit by lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro to Psagot, an illegal Israeli settlement located north of Jerusalem.  

Read more: Brazil President Bolsonaro’s sons show off Israeli military t-shirts

The visit forms part of Bolsonaro's itinerary during his sojourn in Israel, where he will be accompanied by a Brazilian delegation.

According to the Times of Israel, Bolsonaro will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to formally open a Brazilian trade mission without diplomatic representation in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian ministry stated that the settlements, which are built on Palestinian land, are illegal and Bolsonaro's visit contravenes both international law and countless UN resolutions.

Read more: Guns and Christians: Explaining Bolsonaro's Israel embassy move

The visit "does not reflect the image of Brazil as a major supporter of the Palestinian question and one of the first Latin American countries to recognize the State of Palestine," Hanan Jarrar, a Palestinian official responsible for Latin American affairs, said, according to Wafa.

Yet activists are likely to see things differently. In November last year, Eduardo was seen alongside his brother Carlos donning a t-shirt with 'Israel Defence Forces' emblazoned on it.

Their father has voiced his unequivocal support for Israel, and repeatedly made clear his intent to move Brazil's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

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