Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Brazil presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro vowed to “renew the deep friendship” between their countries in a phone call weeks before both face tense elections.
Netanyahu congratulated Bolsonaro on his performance in Brazil’s first round election and invited him to visit Israel during a Thursday phone conversation, according to a statement from the Israeli government. Bolsonaro in turn invited the prime minister to visit Brazil, it said.
Bolsonaro finished ahead of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leftist who has sparred with Netanyahu’s government throughout his time in power, in a first round vote on Sunday, positioning him as the frontrunner in Brazil’s Oct. 25 runoff election.
The eldest son of former leader Jair Bolsonaro, who forged strong ties with Netanyahu during his presidency, has pledged to move Brazil closer to Israel should he win.
The Israeli prime minister is also in the middle of a key election campaign, with public opinion polls showing his right-wing coalition may fall short of a majority in the country’s 120-seat parliament in an Oct. 27 vote.
Victory for Bolsonaro would advance a wave of conservative wins that have bolstered Israeli relations across Latin America, with some countries completely shifting stances on the Middle East.
New President Abelardo de la Espriella is swiftly rebuilding Colombia’s political and defense partnership with Israel, in sharp contrast to his predecessor, who backed a genocide case against Israel for the war in Gaza at the International Court of Justice . Peru’s new government, led by Keiko Fujimori, has warm relations with Israel and recently cut ties with Iran.
This week, Netanyahu welcomed a Paraguayan delegation to discuss strengthening relations and expanding cooperation.
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Netanyahu endorsed Bolsonaro this year after the senator pledged to move Brazil’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, echoing a call Jair Bolsonaro made during his presidency.
Lula has been a vocal critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, and in 2024 removed Brazil’s ambassador from Tel Aviv amid a diplomatic row over the conflict. He’s repeatedly criticized Netanyahu by name.
Latin America’s shift toward Israel contrasts with views from many Western countries, which are growing impatient on the country’s continuing military operations in Gaza. Nations including the UK, France and Canada have moved to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The Netherlands, meanwhile, has banned the import and sale of goods originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank as well as East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, conquered by Israel in 1967 and later annexed but seen by most of the world as occupied.