Netanyahu snubs Lula, invites Bolsonaro to Israel as ex-Brazil prez asks apex court to return passport
- In Reports
- 09:22 PM, Mar 29, 2024
- Myind Staff
According to a statement released by Bolsonaro's legal team on 28th March, Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has asked federal authorities to return his passport and approve his travel to Israel. He intends to accept an invitation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit in May. Bolsonaro's lawyers submitted this request to the Supreme Court on Monday, coinciding with the publication of security camera footage by The New York Times. The footage revealed that Bolsonaro spent two nights at the Hungarian embassy in Brasilia in February. This stay occurred shortly after Federal Police confiscated his passport during a raid related to an investigation into allegations of a plot to disregard the 2022 election results and stage an uprising to maintain Bolsonaro in power.
The disclosure of his stay prompted widespread speculation that he might have been trying to evade arrest, as law enforcement agents would not have jurisdiction to enter embassy premises due to diplomatic protocols restricting access.
Bolsonaro's legal representatives refuted this suggestion in a separate statement, asserting that it was illogical to assume he was seeking asylum or evading authorities. According to the statement, the embassy stay was part of his political agenda involving the Hungarian government, with whom he has a well-established alignment.
Both Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Israel's Netanyahu, who are prominent figures in a global far-right movement, are key international allies of Bolsonaro. In contrast, Netanyahu, in particular, has had strained relations with Bolsonaro's rival and successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Last month, Israel's foreign minister stated that Lula would not be permitted to visit Israel unless he apologises for remarks likening Israel's actions in Gaza to the Holocaust, accusing him of an extremely grave antisemitic attack. Netanyahu echoed this sentiment, condemning Lula's comments as diminishing the significance of the Holocaust and crossing a significant boundary.
In Bolsonaro's petition to the Supreme Court seeking permission to travel to Israel from May 12 to 18, his lawyers argued that the planned trip would not impede the ongoing legal proceedings he faces, as he has scheduled commitments following his intended return date. Although the petition did not specify the purpose of Bolsonaro's visit, the proposed timeframe coincides with Israel's Independence Day.
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