Dani Dayan
Dani DayanNissim Lev

The Foreign Ministry is boosting its efforts to ensure that the appointment of Dani Dayan as Israel's ambassador to Brazil is approved, despite efforts by a group of leftist former ambassadors to thwart it.

Officials in the Ministry on Wednesday night approached President Reuven Rivlin, and confirmed that they received his consent to, if necessary, hold a conversation between Rivlin and Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff who has expressed reservations about Dayan’s appointment in recent days.

In addition to a phone call between Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein with the Brazilian ambassador in Israel, which took place on Tuesday before Yom Kippur, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon on Wednesday night spoke with his Brazilian counterpart, and formally requested that his government approve the credentials of Dayan.

However, it appears that concern for Israel on this subject is premature. A senior diplomatic source told Arutz Sheva on Wednesday night that it is extremely rare for a country not to accept another country's ambassador, and that the messages Israel has so far received from Brazil are only ones of inconvenience over the saga.

"The Brazilians are not going to place obstacles over the appointment, and Dayan is expected to serve as ambassador to Brazil and do an excellent job," the official said.

Three former ambassadors - ambassador to South Africa Ilan Baruch, former ambassador to France Élie Barnavi, and former Foreign Ministry director-general Alon Liel, have spearheaded the campaign against Dayan's appointment, as well as other leftist activists.

Liel told Arutz Sheva Monday that he and other members of the group are not directing their effort at Dayan personally.

"Dayan is a symbol, because Brazil very consistently opposes the idea of a binational state, it opposes the settlements. And the Israeli government's move is intended to put it to the test on this matter,” he explained.