Benjamin Netanyahu and his family were met by a furious crowd at Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue on Sunday. People were jeering and hissing at the Israeli prime minister because the popular tourist site was closed to visitors due to security arrangements for his visit, The Times of Israel reported.
ראש הממשלה נתניהו ביקר עם רעייתו ובנו בפסל של ישו בריו, בשל סידורי האבטחה האתר נסגר למבקרים. הקהל זעם ורה"מ הונחה להישאר ברכב https://t.co/bxb0ShVSKu pic.twitter.com/1ascNdAuMO — החדשות (@NewsChannelIL) 31 December 2018
Hadashot TV news reported that Netanyahu was instructed to stay in the car, while his wife Sara and son Yair took a tour of the statue.
READ MORE: Bolsonaro Promises Netanyahu to Move Brazilian Embassy to Jerusalem – Reports
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the visit was carried out in line with security protocol.
“The security arrangements for the prime minister’s arrival caused a delay for the public to enter, so he decided to give up his visit to the site so as not to cause further delays”, it read, The Times of Israel reported.
Following his meeting with Bolsonaro, Netanyahu said that the Brazilian president had told him that he would relocate the country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem:
PM Netanyahu:
"Mr. Bolsonaro also said this: 'I will move the embassy to Jerusalem. It’s not a question of if, just a question of when.' President Trump said the same thing. He moved the embassy. And President Bolsonaro will move the embassy as well. 🇮🇱🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/4I0CZ4Ppj5 — PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) 30 December 2018