Andres Oppenheimer: Brazil crossed the line on Israel
... Many other countries have condemned the "disproportionate use of force" by Israel, but most — including Argentina, which normally echoes Brazil's stands — have simultaneously condemned Hamas for its systematic rocket attacks against Israeli civilian targets, which Israel says started the latest round of violence.
Furthermore, the United States and the 28-member European Union, which consider Hamas as a terrorist group, have specifically condemned Hamas use of civilians as human shields.
On July 17, the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, known by its acronym UNRWA, announced that it had discovered 20 Hamas rockets hidden in a U.N. school in Gaza. A few days later, UNRWA announced a similar finding at another U.N. school.
Following Brazil's one-sided condemnation of Israel, Israel's foreign ministry issued a statement saying that Brazil's behavior "illustrates the reason why that economic and cultural giant remains politically irrelevant" on the world scene. Israeli officials said Israel's unusually strong reaction was primarily triggered by Brazil's decision to recall its ambassador.
MORE HERE: http://wonkynewsnerd.com/andres-oppenheimer-brazil-crossed-line-israel/
= new reply since forum marked as read
That's supposed to be a secret! 
down main street on St. Patrick's Day. 
Israel is in the top 3 in technology and medicine.
First, normal diplomats just don't go out calling another country a "diplomatic midget" while their country is engaging in its 1254³³th war since it has been created. How good are they at diplomacy?
Second, if that offense is directed to a country that is 425 times larger in area, 25 times larger in population, and 10 times larger in economy than his, it looks silly. If you remember that country, unlike his, is praised for its peaceful approach in international issues, has no enemies anywhere in the world, has good diplomatic relations with all the nations on Earth, has been living in peace with its neighbors for almost a century and a half and fought its last war before Israel even existed, it seems even more silly.
Third, when that same country is his largest commercial partner in Latin America, his fourth biggest client of high tech and military material in the planet, and has the 9th largest jewish community in the world, that looks an error.
Fourth, when that same country that he calls a "diplomatic midget" is directly connected to the origin of Israel, having lobbied in favor of them like Brazil's representative Oswaldo Aranha did, and that country even presided the United Nations session that approved the creation of their state and hold the Minerva Vote in favor of them, that seems ungrateful.
I assume they just don't go out naming Tel-Aviv streets in honor of "unimportant" people from "diplomatic midget" countries.
