Brazilian lawmakers from PSOL have asked federal agencies to investigate allegations involving Israeli tourists in Bahia and to strengthen protections for victims. (Foto: Instagram)
Lawmakers from Brazil’s Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) have asked the federal government to investigate reports of alleged crimes involving Israeli tourists vacationing in Bahia. Representative Fernanda Melchionna said the request seeks an investigation, preventive measures and protections for victims. The group announced its action Monday, Nov. 9, directing the request to the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice and Tourism.
Melchionna said the reports involve alleged assaults and sexual harassment at beaches in Bahia, particularly Morro de São Paulo on Tinharé Island. In a statement posted on X, she said Israeli tourists, many of them former military personnel, have long visited the area and that reports of violence were increasing. She cited a recent allegation of sexual harassment involving a Salvador resident and called for measures to protect victims. Her claims about the tourists’ backgrounds and reported conduct were not independently established in the account.
The allegations drew attention in late October after a dispute over a pro-Palestinian mural on a historic building in Itacaré. The artwork included a watermelon, a symbol associated with Palestinian resistance, and the phrase “From the river to the sea,” which some Israeli visitors viewed as antisemitic and as a call to destroy Israel. The phrase is used to express a vision of a Palestinian state spanning the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, including present-day Israel. Some Israelis use the term “Greater Israel” to describe Jewish sovereignty over the same area. A group of Israeli tourists tried to remove the paintings and posters. The building’s owner, who said he had approved artwork reflecting the town’s identity but not political messages, later painted over the facade. Some local residents and pro-Palestinian activists characterized the incident as “predatory tourism.”
On Friday, Nov. 6, publicist Carolina Carvalho, 33, said on social media that two Israeli men approached her while she was walking in Salvador’s Barra neighborhood. She alleged that one commented on her appearance and repeatedly asked where she lived. When she did not answer, she said, he insulted her and accused her of racism and antisemitism. Carvalho filed a police report at the 14th Territorial Police Station in Barra and contacted Brazil’s Foreign Ministry.
Bahia’s Civil Police said it was investigating. According to the police account, two men approached Carvalho, made unwanted physical contact and then insulted her. Investigators were working to identify the suspects and clarify what happened. Representative Erika Hilton, also of PSOL, contacted Bahia’s Public Security Secretariat and the Foreign Ministry, seeking urgent action. Hilton said many Israeli tourists visiting Brazil, especially Bahia, were current or former military personnel, and argued that the Israeli military had committed crimes against humanity in Gaza. She also said she asked the Foreign Ministry to bar entry to soldiers from any country accused of war crimes by international bodies, including Israel.
Bahia has become a destination for young Israelis after completion of mandatory military service, with many visiting Itacaré and Morro de São Paulo, according to the report. Earlier this year, Israeli soldier Yuval Vagdani was vacationing in Morro de São Paulo when a Brazilian court ordered the Federal Police to investigate him. The Hind Rajab Foundation had accused him of war crimes and human rights violations in the Gaza Strip. After the case drew attention, Vagdani left Brazil before investigative steps were taken, with help from the Israeli Embassy in Brasília.
Bahia’s Secretariat of Justice and Human Rights said it was monitoring reports of hostility involving tourists and residents in Itacaré and Morro de São Paulo, and that the state Civil Police were investigating the cases. The Israelite Confederation of Brazil condemned damage to property in the mural dispute and said Israeli tourists viewed the slogan as threatening or offensive. It also noted the long-standing presence of Israeli visitors in Itacaré and the local population’s traditional welcome. The group said support for Palestinians and respect for Israelis and Jews were not mutually exclusive. Itacaré’s city government condemned violence, intolerance and discrimination, while saying the municipality should not take an institutional position on Israel and Palestine.
