Lula secures 51.79% vote share to keep Brazilian embassy in Tel Aviv

Brazilians voted to keep Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva in the presidency, defeating Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in the runoff held this week. The result stops a planned change in Brazilian foreign policy that would have moved the country’s diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Lula, the leader of the Workers Party, captured 51.79% of the valid votes. Flavio Bolsonaro, who runs as a member of the Liberal Party, received the remaining 48.21%. The margin of victory was narrow, but it was enough to retain Lula in office for another term.

The election outcome matters because the two candidates held opposing views on Brazil’s relationship with Israel. Bolsonaro promised a close partnership with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also cultivated personal ties with the Israeli leader. Lula has taken a critical stance toward Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Bolsonaro stated that he did not accept the election results, although experts note there is no clear path to challenging the official count. The dispute highlights the tension between the two camps regarding the country's international alignment.

The stakes were raised in recent months by specific diplomatic actions. In January 2024, Lula’s government backed South Africa’s decision to file a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. A month later, Lula compared the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza to the Holocaust, a remark that triggered a diplomatic crisis. CONIB, the Jewish umbrella organization in Brazil, called the comparison a distortion that offended the memory of Holocaust victims. The Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires also criticized the statement.

Flavio Bolsonaro made his own plans clear during a meeting with Jewish leaders in Buenos Aires on June 28, 2026. He stated that Brazil would move its embassy to Jerusalem in 2027. He also said the country would appoint an ambassador to Israel again. During the same event, Bolsonaro praised the 120,000 Jews in Brazil, describing them as among the brightest in medicine, industry, science, culture, and business. His comments signaled a sharp turn toward closer ties with Israel if he had won the presidency.

The election follows a trend in the region where several governments have strengthened their bonds with Israel since 2023. Argentine President Javier Milei has made support for Israel central to his foreign policy. Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira restored diplomatic relations that his predecessor had cut. President Nasry Asfura of Honduras recognized Israel’s new ambassador immediately after taking office in 2025. Chilean President José Antonio Kast is rebuilding ties that had diminished under his predecessor. Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, elected in May, restored severed diplomatic ties and sent his foreign minister to open an embassy in Jerusalem.

The shift in Brazil interrupts this regional momentum. Lula’s victory means the embassy remains in Tel Aviv for the time being. The result also keeps Brazil aligned with the position it held during the last four years, rather than joining the growing group of Latin American nations that have deepened their diplomatic engagement with Israel since the 2023 war began.