Anti-Semitism shows a society that is immature in relation to minorities, the president of the Israeli Confederation of Brazil tells CNN

Anti-Semitism “symbolizes a society that is immature towards all minorities,” he said. CNN the president of the Israeli Confederation of Brazil, Claudio Lottenberg.

For him, it is possible to criticize the State of Israel in light of its actions in the war, which place the Gaza Strip in a humanitarian crisis, as international organizations point out. However, these criticisms should not be mixed and confused with the Jewish people, they should not be an argument in favor of anti-Semitic positions.

“There is a mixture of interpretations and readings, because there can be criticism of the State of Israel, of its government, but, obviously, this in no way justifies movements of an anti-Semitic nature . Anti-Semitism is racism. Anti-Semitism is perhaps the most hateful thing in the sense that, ultimately, it is expressed in relation to a minority. It symbolizes a society that is immature and respectful of all minorities,” he said.

Asked about the Brazilians allegedly linked to Hezbollah and arrested this Wednesday (8) on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack against the Jewish community in Brazil, Lottenberg described the situation as an “importation of terror”.

“I see it with concern because, even if it targets Jewish entities, everything must be investigated, it translates into an action of international terrorism. This means that what is happening in Israel is an engineered action, in which entities linked to Iran participate (…) It is the importation of terror.”

For the president of the Israeli Confederation of Brazil, the situation could lead Brazilian political leaders, without specifying which ones, to take firmer positions in the face of the Israeli war.

There exists “an absolutist, negationist world, which refuses to live within the democratic spectrum, opposing the world of freedom (…) And, who knows, (today’s arrest) will bring a little more light , particularly on those who play a role within the governmental structure and not just the State, (to make) a slightly more critical judgment on the position we should adopt: whether on the side of democracies or of the alongside regimes that support terrorist strategies, as is the case with Hamas,” he declared.

“The way some of our country’s leaders have expressed themselves on this issue is regrettable,” he added.

For him, leaders cannot mix anti-Semitism with criticism of the Israeli government in the war: “When it comes from a group of ignorant people, who mix all the scenarios, I think it can even be understandable. Now, I imagine that people who have a representative role, normally linked to diplomacy, the least we can imagine is that there is a minimum of knowledge.”