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<\/a><\/p>\nSen. Flavio Bolsonaro (L) faces President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva (R) in runoff elections in Brazil. (Photo by Evaristo SA and Sergio LIMA \/ AFP)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party, had pledged a close diplomatic partnership with Israel and cultivated ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while Lula has become a critic of Israel\u2019s military campaign in Gaza. Bolsonaro said he did not accept the election results, although it is not clear how he could challenge them.<\/p>\n
In January 2024, Lula\u2019s government endorsed South Africa\u2019s decision to bring a genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice. A month later, Lula compared Palestinian suffering in Gaza to Hitler\u2019s murder of the Jews, triggering a diplomatic crisis between Brazil and Israel. Brazil\u2019s Jewish umbrella organization, CONIB, publicly condemned the comparison as a distortion that offended the memory of Holocaust victims and their descendants. <\/p>\n
The remarks were also criticized by the Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires. Sen. Bolsonaro promised a big shift toward Israel when he spoke on June 28, 2026, in Buenos Aires in a meeting with Jewish leaders. \u201cIn 2027, Brazil will not only once again have an ambassador to Israel, but will also take the step of moving its embassy to Israel\u2019s capital, Jerusalem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
That night he also lauded the 120,000 Jews in Brazil, saying, \u201cThey are men and women who rank among the brightest in Brazilian medicine, industry, science, culture and business.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Bolsonaro finished ahead of Lula in the first round on Oct. 4, Netanyahu sent a message the following day on X: \u201cCongratulations @FlavioBolsonaro on yesterday\u2019s vote and good luck in the final. I look forward to restoring the extraordinary friendship between Israel and Brazil. Best wishes for your great victory, my friend.\u201d <\/p>\n
Since 2023, several Latin American countries have strengthened ties with Israel, in some cases reversing policies adopted by their predecessors, among them: <\/p>\n
Argentine President Javier Milei elected in 2023, who makes support for Israel central to his foreign policy and meets with families of hostages Hamas abducted in its deadly Oct. 7, 2023, raid on Israel, which launched the current war; <\/p>\n
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira, elected in 2025, who restored diplomatic relations with Israel severed by his predecessor; <\/p>\n
President Nasry Asfura of Honduras, elected in 2025, who immediately formally recognized Israel\u2019s new ambassador, a process his predecessor left in limbo;<\/p>\n
Chilean President Jos\u00e9 Antonio Kast, elected in 2025, who is rebuilding ties with Israel diminished by his predecessor; <\/p>\n
and Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, elected in May, who restored diplomatic ties with Israel severed by his predecessor, sent his foreign minister to inaugurate an embassy in Jerusalem and pulled out of the ICJ genocide case against Israel. <\/p>\n