Before leaving Israel, the mayor of Belo Horizonte says he received a lecture with 'war propaganda'

The mayor of Belo Horizonte (MG), Álvaro Damião (União), stated in an interview this Monday, the 23rd, that the group of Brazilian managers who were in Israel at the beginning of the conflicts with Iran received instructions to act as “ambassadors of truth” before leaving the country. The statements were made in an interview with UOL .

According to Damião, the group of Brazilian mayors was taken to a lecture given by Rafael Rozenszajn, a member of the Israeli Defense Ministry, on July 15, the day before the politicians crossed the border into Jordan and left the country at war.

The mayor of the capital of Minas Gerais says he thought that the evacuation plans would be discussed. However, “the guy who led the meeting actually gave a lecture. And he only talked about war figures and even said that we would be Israel’s representatives in Brazil.”

Damião also considered the lecture “war propaganda,” since politicians were asked to endorse Israel’s view of the conflict. He also said the event was not appropriate for the time the delegation was in.

Mayors' visit caught in the middle of conflict

In all, 12 Brazilian mayors were in Israel when the conflict broke out on June 12. The group traveled to the Middle Eastern nation on June 8 at the request of the local government to attend a public safety innovation event.

Among the politicians who were in the country were Cicero Lucena (PP), mayor of João Pessoa (PB); Claudia Lira (Avante), vice-mayor of Goiânia (GO); Johnny Maycon (PL), mayor of Nova Friburgo (RJ); Nélio Aguiar, former mayor of Santarém (PA); Welberth Rezende (Cidadania), mayor of Macaé (RJ); and Vanderlei Pelizer (PL), vice-mayor of Uberlândia (MG).

The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta (Republicans-PB), filed a request for the head of Itamaraty, Minister Mauro Vieira, to remove Brazilian managers from Israel on June 13, one day after the bombings began.

The rescue, however, only took place on the 16th. After using a bus to get to Jordan, the politicians were taken to Saudi Arabia, where they were able to board a plane and return to Brazil.