Brazil's Bolsonaro eyes 'Israel' leisure trip, asks for passport back

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
29 Mar 2024 09:40

Bolsonaro's lawyer, Fabio Wajngarten, has graciously clarified that the urgent passport revival is solely to accommodate an official invitation for a "family vacation in Israel" from May 12 to 18.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro addresses supporters during a rally in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on February 25, 2024. (AP)

In a move that's sure to raise a few skeptical eyebrows, Jair Bolsonaro, the former right-wing President currently under scrutiny for an alleged coup plot, has made a rather convenient plea to Brazil's high court, asking for the temporary reinstatement of his passport to go on a casual trip to "Israel" amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Bolsonaro's lawyer, Fabio Wajngarten, has graciously clarified that this urgent passport revival is solely to accommodate an official invitation for a "family vacation in Israel" from May 12 to 18.

In further detail, Bolsonaro's lawyers submitted the request in a letter to Federal Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who heads an investigation into whether Bolsonaro incited a "coup attempt" to thwart his 2022 election opponent and current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office in January 2023.

As part of this investigation, authorities seized Bolsonaro's passport on February 8. Bolsonaro's legal team, refuting the coup allegations, asserted that the "trip does not entail any risk to the process."

The big picture

Brazil's courts have prohibited Bolsonaro from seeking public office, and the continued investigation by prosecutors has led his detractors to view him as a potential flight risk.

Then, The New York Times reported that Bolsonaro had sought refuge in the Hungarian embassy in Brasilia for a two-day period following the confiscation of his passport.

It is worth noting that Bolsonaro maintains a close alliance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who extended an invitation for him to visit on February 26, amid a diplomatic dispute between "Israel" and Brazil in the wake of the ongoing Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

"Israel" branded Lula as "persona non grata" after he drew parallels between Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip and the Holocaust in February. Simultaneously, Brazil recalled its ambassador to "Israel" on Monday and summoned the Israeli ambassador to the country.

At the time, President Lula accused "Israel" of committing a "genocide" against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, likening its crimes to Adolf Hitler's in Nazi Germany. This was not Lula's first time to draw such comparisons, nor was he the first world leader to do so.

Earlier this month, Lula stated that "the genocide in Gaza must be ended immediately," adding that "the people in Gaza are dying in queues to get food, and the indifference of the international community is shocking."