We are dealing with a crisis in our diplomatic relationship with Brazil. This is a situation that has broad and serious implications.

The current Israeli ambassador to Brazil, Raed Mansour, completed his term of office and returned to Jerusalem last week, and Dani Dayan, who had been chosen by Prime Minister Netanyahu to be the next ambassador, was prepared to replace him.

Dayan was an excellent choice: A native of Argentina, he knows Latin America well and is a native Spanish-speaker.  What is more, Brazil is a rapidly growing market for Israeli goods and Dayan has experience as an entrepreneur.

But politics reared its head in an unexpected and severely problematic fashion: Three former Israeli ambassadors, all with a distinctly left-wing tilt – and all working for EU associated NGOs – lobbied Brazil, in a most inappropriate action, to reject Dayan because of his association with “the settlements”: Dayan had served as head of the Yesha Council, the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.  By many, he is seen as the public face of the “settlements” – the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.  Argued the former ambassadors, accepting Dayan would be tantamount to acknowledging Israel’s right to be present in Judea and Samaria.

Thus did the BDS movement – normally associated with boycotting of goods from and academia in Judea and Samaria – intrude itself into a diplomatic matter.  Dayan himself has said that this is not just about him, and whether he is accepted in Brasilia, but where all those diplomats who live in or are associated with Judea and Samaria will be deemed “not kosher.”

This simply is not a situation that Israel can accept.  Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely has let Brazil know that someone else will not be appointed.  It will be Dayan or no one.  Attempts at settling the matter quietly were unsuccessful and the issue has been made public.

See Caroline Glick on this, below, with more to follow shortly regarding the transparency of NGOs.