Brazilian Governor Apologizes For Welcoming Hezbollah Official
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RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA) — The governor of Brazil’s Sao Paulo state apologized to the Jewish community for welcoming a Muslim clergyman accused of having ties with Hezbollah.
Gov. Marcio Franca welcomed Sheikh Bilal Mohsen Wehbe as part of a group of members of the local Lebanese community during a visit to the state government headquarters on April 17. The fact was revealed by Veja magazine’s online edition on Saturday, followed by a condemnation statement released by the Sao Paulo Jewish Federation on Sunday.
“Unfortunately, Gov. Marcio Franca and his team ignored the organization’s links to smuggling and drug trafficking in the Triple Frontier region between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, as well as its radical stance calling for the destruction of the State of Israel, and gave legitimacy to a group recognized as terrorist by countless democratic countries,” the statement said.
Franca apologized to Jewish officials that he welcomed on Monday, including the president of the Brazilian Israelite Confederation, the country’s umbrella Jewish organization. During the meeting organized by Congressman Floriano Pesaro, who is Jewish, the governor declared he was not familiar with the names in the Lebanese delegation and admitted that “the check may have been flawed.”
“The shkeikh is the main name of the terrorist group Hezbollah in South America. Lebanese-born and naturalized Brazilian, Wehbe took on this role after Mohsen Rabbani was forced to flee from Argentina accused of having been the architect of the AMIA attack,” wrote Veja magazine.
The Jewish federation criticized the fact that “the highest authority of our state” welcomed the sheikh.
“As Brazilian Jews, we are obliged to alert, demand and always support the legally constituted authorities in the national territory, so that they remain truly alert in such situations and do not give shelter to those who find terror as a unique form of expression,” the federation statement said.
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