Lula Secures 51.79% of Vote, Keeping Brazilian Embassy in Tel Aviv

Brazilian voters granted Luiz Inácio da Silva 51.79% of the valid votes in the presidential runoff, securing his return to the presidency. He defeated center-right senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who received the remaining 48.21%. The result places a hold on a diplomatic realignment that was expected to shift Brazil closer to Israel.

Lula, the leader of the Workers Party, has positioned his administration as a critic of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. In contrast, Bolsonaro, a member of the Liberal Party, had campaigned on a platform of a close diplomatic partnership with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Bolsonaro stated he did not accept the election results, although it remains unclear what legal avenues he has to challenge the outcome.

The diplomatic stakes became clear during a meeting in Buenos Aires on June 28, 2026. Bolsonaro addressed Jewish leaders and pledged a major change in foreign policy. He stated that in 2027, Brazil would not only appoint an ambassador to Israel but also move its embassy to Jerusalem. He also praised the country's Jewish community, calling the 120,000 members 'among the brightest' in medicine, industry, science, culture, and business.

Lula’s previous term marked a period of friction between the two nations. In January 2024, his government endorsed South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Shortly after, Lula compared the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza to the Holocaust. The Brazilian Jewish umbrella organization CONIB condemned that comparison as a distortion that offended the memory of victims. The Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires also criticized the remarks.

Bolsonaro’s initial lead in the first round on October 4 prompted a response from Netanyahu. The Israeli leader sent a message on X/Twitter the following day, congratulating Bolsonaro and expressing hope for restoring the 'extraordinary friendship' between the two nations. He wished Bolsonaro a 'great victory' in the final round.

The election result interrupts a trend among several Latin American nations. Since 2023, leaders in Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, Chile, and Colombia have strengthened ties with Israel. Argentine President Javier Milei has made support for Israel central to his policy. Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira and Honduran President Nasry Asfura both restored diplomatic relations in 2025. Chilean President José Antonio Kast is rebuilding diminished ties, while Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, elected in May, inaugurated an embassy in Jerusalem and withdrew from the ICJ genocide case.

With Lula back in office, the Brazilian embassy remains in Tel Aviv for now. The planned relocation to Jerusalem, which Bolsonaro promised during his campaign, is paused pending the new administration's foreign policy decisions.