Brazilian Election: Lula's Reelection Blocks Embassy Move to Jerusalem
Workers Party leader wins 51.79% of the vote, stalling a plan by his opponent to relocate the diplomatic mission.
By Enzo Almasi ·
Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva has secured a second consecutive term as president of Brazil, defeating Flavio Bolsonaro in the national runoff. The Workers Party leader received 51.79% of valid votes, while the Liberal Party candidate garnered 48.21%. Lula's victory halts a planned diplomatic shift that would have moved the Brazilian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Bolsonaro had campaigned on a platform of closer ties with Israel and built a relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a speech to Jewish leaders in Buenos Aires on June 28, 2026, Bolsonaro stated, "In 2027, Brazil will not only once again have an ambassador to Israel, but will also take the step of moving its embassy to Israel's capital, Jerusalem." The defeat of his campaign leaves that pledge unfulfilled for the next term.
The election result contrasts with a trend in other Latin American nations. Since 2023, several regional governments have strengthened their alignment with Israel. Argentine President Javier Milei, elected in 2023, has made support for Israel a central pillar of his foreign policy. He regularly meets with families of hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Other recent changes include Bolivia, where President Rodrigo Paz Pereira restored diplomatic relations in 2025 after his predecessor severed them. Honduras, led by President Nasry Asfura, formally recognized Israel's new ambassador in 2025, a process left incomplete by the previous administration. Chilean President José Antonio Kast, also elected in 2025, is working to rebuild ties that had weakened under his predecessor.
Colombia offers the most direct parallel to Bolsonaro's plan. President Abelardo de la Espriella, elected in May 2026, restored diplomatic ties, sent his foreign minister to inaugurate an embassy in Jerusalem, and withdrew from the International Court of Justice genocide case against Israel.
Lula's previous term featured a more critical stance toward Israel. In January 2024, his government supported South Africa's genocide case against Israel before the ICJ. In February 2024, Lula compared the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza to the Holocaust, a remark that triggered a diplomatic crisis. The Jewish umbrella organization in Brazil, CONIB, publicly condemned the comparison as a distortion that offended the memory of Holocaust victims.
Bolsonaro said he did not accept the election results, though it is unclear how he intends to challenge them. The outcome leaves Brazil's diplomatic posture in Tel Aviv unchanged for the coming years, despite the broader regional movement toward Jerusalem.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
