Israel has cautioned Brazil that unless they accept the former head of the Jewish settlement movement as an ambassador, they risk a downgrade in relations.

Dani Dayan was appointed four months ago, but his nomination has not yet been approved by the left-leaning nation of Brazil.

"The State of Israel will leave the level of diplomatic relations with Brazil at the secondary level if the appointment of Dani Dayan is not confirmed, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said, according to The Guardian.

Dayan was the chairman of the Yesha Council, an umbrella group that represented Jewish settlers in the occupied territories from 2007 to 2013.

The Brazilian government, which has supported Palestinian statehood in recent years, has a history of tense relations with Israel over the settlement movement.

In 2010 Israel expressed disappointment at Brazil's decision to recognize a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. As Al Jazeera reported, the Israeli foreign ministry released a statement that said, "Recognition of a Palestinian state is a breach of the interim agreement which was signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in 1995 which said that the issue of the status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be discussed and resolved through negotiations."

Relations between the two nations worsened last year when Brazil recalled its ambassador from Israel in protest over what it called a disproportionate use of force by Israel during its summer offensive in Gaza.

As reported Haaretz, Dayan sees his appointment as an important step for the Israeli peace keepers and diplomats who happen to be settlers. "I don’t know if I will be the ambassador in Brazil and personally, it doesn't matter that much,” he said, adding, "It would even make things much easier for me, but I am fighting for the next ambassador who is a settler.”