{"id":126010,"date":"2019-01-14T12:00:58","date_gmt":"2019-01-14T12:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=126010"},"modified":"2019-01-21T11:21:05","modified_gmt":"2019-01-21T11:21:05","slug":"when-bolsonaro-and-netanyahu-are-brothers-why-brazil-should-shun-the-israeli-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2019\/01\/when-bolsonaro-and-netanyahu-are-brothers-why-brazil-should-shun-the-israeli-model\/","title":{"rendered":"When Bolsonaro and Netanyahu Are \u2018Brothers\u2019: Why Brazil Should Shun the Israeli Model"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro (L) and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo: File)<\/p><\/div>\n

9 Jan 2019 – <\/em>Newly-inaugurated Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, is set to be the arch-enemy of the environment and indigenous and disadvantaged communities in his country. He also promises to be a friend of like-minded, far-right leaders the world over.<\/p>\n

It is, therefore, not surprising to see a special kind of friendship blossoming between Bolsonaro and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need good brothers like Netanyahu,\u201d Bolsonaro\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0on January 1, the day of his inauguration in Brasilia.<\/p>\n

Bolsonaro is a \u201cgreat ally (and) a brother\u201d, Netanyahu\u00a0replied<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But, while Bolsonaro sees in Netanyahu a role model \u2013 for reasons that should worry many Brazilians \u2013 the country certainly does not need \u2018brothers\u2019 like the Israeli leader.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu\u2019s militancy,\u00a0oppression<\/a>\u00a0of the indigenous Palestinian people, his racially-motivated\u00a0targeting<\/a>\u00a0of Black African immigrants and his persistent violations of international law are not at all what a country like Brazil needs to escape corruption, bring about communal harmony and usher in an era of regional integration and economic prosperity.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu, of course, was keen on attending Bolsonaro\u2019s\u00a0inauguration<\/a>, which is likely to go down in Brazilian history as an infamous day, where democracy and human rights came under their most serious threat since Brazil launched its democratic transition in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n

In recent years, Brazil has emerged as a sensible regional power that defended Palestinian human rights and championed the integration of the \u2018State of Palestine\u2019 into the larger international community.<\/p>\n

Frustrated by Brazil\u2019s record on Palestine and Israel, Netanyahu, a shrewd politician, saw an opportunity in the populist discourse parroted by Bolsonaro during his campaign.<\/p>\n

The new Brazilian President wants to reverse Brazil\u2019s foreign policy on Palestine and Israel, the same way he wants to reverse all the policies of his predecessors regarding indigenous rights, the protection of the rainforest, among other pressing matters.<\/p>\n

What is truly worrying is that Bolsonaro, who has been likened to Donald Trump \u2013 least because of his vow to \u201cmake Brazil great again\u201d \u2013 is likely to keep his promises. Indeed, only hours after his inauguration, he\u00a0issued<\/a>\u00a0an executive order targeting land rights of indigenous peoples in Brazil, to the delight of the agricultural lobbies, which are eager to cut down much of the country\u2019s forests.<\/p>\n

Confiscating indigenous peoples\u2019 territories, as Bolsonaro\u00a0plans to do<\/a>, is something that Netanyahu, his government and their predecessors have done without remorse for many years. Yes, it is clear that the claim of \u2018brotherhood\u2019 is based on very solid ground.<\/p>\n

But there are other dimensions to the love affair between both leaders. Much work has been invested in turning Brazil from having an arguably pro-Palestinian government, to a Trump-like foreign policy.<\/p>\n

In his campaign, Bolsonaro\u00a0reached ou<\/a>t to conservative political groups, the never truly tamed military and Evangelical churches, all with powerful lobbies, sinister agendas, and unmistakable influence. Such groups have historically, not only in South America but in the United States and other countries as well, conditioned their political support for any candidate on the unconditional and blind support of Israel.<\/p>\n

This is how the United States has become the main benefactor for Israel, and that is precisely how Tel Aviv aims to conquer new political grounds.<\/p>\n

The western world, in particular, is turning towards far-right demagogues for simple answers to complicated and convoluted problems. Brazil, thanks to Bolsonaro and his supporters, is now joining the disturbing trend.<\/p>\n

Israel is unabashedly\u00a0exploiting<\/a>\u00a0the unmitigated rise of global neo-fascism and populism. Worse, the once perceived to be anti-Semitic trends are now wholly embraced by the \u2018Jewish State\u2019, which is seeking to broaden its political influence but also its weapons market.<\/p>\n

Politically, far-right parties understand that in order for Israel to help them whitewash their past and present sins, they would have to submit completely to Israel\u2019s agenda in the Middle East. And that is precisely what is taking place from Washington to Rome to Budapest to Vienna \u2026 And, as of late, Brasilia.<\/p>\n

But another, perhaps more compelling reason is money. Israel has much to offer by way of its destructive war and \u2018security\u2019 technology, a massive product line that has been\u00a0used<\/a>\u00a0with lethal consequences against Palestinians.<\/p>\n

The border control industry is thriving in the US and Europe. In both cases, Israel is serving the task of the successful role model and the technology supplier. And Israeli \u2018security\u2019 technology, thanks to the newfound sympathy for Israel\u2019s alleged security problems, is now invading European borders as well.<\/p>\n

According to the Israeli Ynetnews, Israel is the seventh largest arms\u00a0exporter<\/a>\u00a0in the world and is\u00a0emerging<\/a>\u00a0as a leader in the global export of aerial drones.<\/p>\n

Europe\u2019s excitement for Israel\u2019s drone technology is related to mostly unfounded fears of migrants and refugees. In the case of Brazil, Israeli drones technology will be put to fight against criminal gangs and other internal reasons.<\/p>\n

For the record, Israeli drones manufactured by Elbit Systems have been purchased and used by the former Brazilian government just before the FIFA World Cup in 2014.<\/p>\n

What makes future deals between both countries more alarming is the sudden affinity of far-right politicians in both countries. Expectedly, Bolsonaro and Netanyahu discussed the drones at length during the latter\u2019s visit to Brazil.<\/p>\n

Israel has used extreme violence to counter Palestinian demands for human rights, including lethal force against ongoing peaceful protests at the fence separating besieged Gaza from Israel. If Bolsonaro thinks that he will successfully counter local crimes through unhinged violence \u2013 as opposed to addressing social and economic inequality and unfair distribution of wealth in his country \u2013 then he can only expect to exasperate an already\u00a0horrific death toll<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Israeli security obsessions should not be duplicated, neither in Brazil or anywhere else, and Brazilians, many of whom rightly worry about the state of democracy in their country, should not succumb to the Israeli militant mindset which has wrought no peace, but much violence.<\/p>\n

Israel exports wars to its neighbors, and war technology to the rest of the world. As many countries are plagued by conflict, often resulting from massive income inequalities, Israel should not be seen as the model to follow, but rather the example to avoid.<\/p>\n

___________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of <\/em>Palestine Chronicle. He has a Ph.D. in Palestine Studies from the University of Exeter and has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. Baroud is a Non-Resident Scholar at Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, University of California Santa Barbara. His books include <\/em>Searching Jenin, <\/em>The Second Palestinian Intifada, and <\/em>My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza\u2019s Untold Story. His latest book is The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story<\/a> (Pluto Press, London, 2018). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 ramzybaroud.net<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Join the<\/em><\/strong> BDS-BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT, SANCTIONS <\/em><\/strong>campaign<\/em><\/strong><\/span> to protest the Israeli barbaric siege of Gaza, illegal occupation of the Palestine nation\u2019s territory, the apartheid wall, its inhuman and degrading treatment of the Palestinian people, and the more than 7,000 Palestinian men, women, elderly and children arbitrarily locked up in Israeli prisons.<\/p>\n

DON’T BUY<\/strong> PRODUCTS WHOSE<\/strong> BARCODE<\/strong> STARTS WITH<\/strong> 729<\/strong>, which indicates that it is produced in Israel.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 DO YOUR PART! MAKE A DIFFERENCE!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

7 2 9: BOYCOTT FOR JUSTICE!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

9 Jan 2019 – Newly-inaugurated Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, is set to be the arch-enemy of the environment and indigenous and disadvantaged communities in his country and promises to be a friend of like-minded, far-right leaders the world over. A special friendship is blossoming between Bolsonaro and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel exports wars to its neighbors, war technology to the rest of the world, and should not be seen as the model to follow, but rather the example to avoid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":126011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[180,53,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brics","category-latin-america-and-the-caribbean","category-palestine-israel-gaza-genocide"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}