Brazilian Election: Lula Wins Runoff to Keep Embassy in Tel Aviv
The Workers Party leader defeated Flavio Bolsonaro by 3.58 percentage points, pausing a planned diplomatic realignment that would have moved the mission to Jerusalem.
By Henry Castro ·
Luiz Inácio da Silva, known as Lula, has secured his re-election as president of Brazil. He defeated center-right senator Flavio Bolsonaro in the final round of voting. This outcome stops a planned diplomatic move that would have shifted Brazil's foreign policy closer to Israel.
Lula, the leader of the left-wing Workers Party, captured 51.79% of valid votes. Bolsonaro, representing the Liberal Party, received 48.21%. The margin of victory was 3.58 percentage points. Bolsonaro stated that he did not accept the results, although the specific mechanism for challenging them remains unclear.
The election result halts a regional trend of strengthening ties with Israel. Several Latin American nations have moved in that direction since 2023. Argentina's President Javier Milei has made support for Israel a central part of his foreign policy. Bolivia's President Rodrigo Paz Pereira restored diplomatic relations that his predecessor had severed. Honduras' President Nasry Asfura formally recognized Israel's new ambassador. Chile's President José Antonio Kast is rebuilding diplomatic connections. Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella restored ties, sent his foreign minister to inaugurate an embassy in Jerusalem, and withdrew from the International Court of Justice genocide case against Israel.
Bolsonaro had promised a major shift in Brazil's stance. On June 28, 2026, he met with Jewish leaders in Buenos Aires. He announced that in 2027, Brazil would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He also said the country would have an ambassador to Israel again. During the same event, he praised the 120,000 Jews in Brazil, describing them as among the brightest in medicine, industry, science, culture, and business.
Lula has taken a different approach to the relationship. His government endorsed South Africa's genocide case against Israel before the ICJ in January 2024. In February 2024, Lula compared the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza to the murder of Jews by Hitler. This comparison triggered a diplomatic crisis. CONIB, the Jewish umbrella organization in Brazil, condemned the remark as a distortion that offended Holocaust victims and their descendants. The Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires also criticized the statement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the first-round results on October 5. Bolsonaro had finished ahead of Lula in the October 4 vote. Netanyahu sent a message on X/Twitter congratulating Bolsonaro and saying he looked forward to restoring the friendship between the two nations. Netanyahu described the friendship as extraordinary and offered his best wishes for Bolsonaro's victory.
The election takes place against a backdrop of ongoing regional diplomatic shifts. The result means the Brazilian embassy will remain in Tel Aviv for the time being. The planned relocation to Jerusalem, a key goal for Bolsonaro's campaign, is now paused pending the next electoral cycle.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
