Brazil’s government ignores Israel’s bid to repair ties amid President Lula’s continued branding of Israeli actions in Gaza as “genocide,” deepening the diplomatic rift.
In yet another blow to already frayed relations, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government has brushed off Israel’s latest diplomatic overture, signaling that the political freeze between Brasília and Jerusalem is far from thawing.
According to Brazilian media, citing diplomatic insiders, Israel’s Foreign Ministry recently reached out with a proposal aimed at reducing tensions and securing approval for the appointment of a new Israeli ambassador to Brazil. But instead of a formal response, Brazil’s Foreign Ministry has remained completely silent—a move Israeli officials in Tel Aviv interpret as an implicit rejection.
The chilly reception comes on the heels of a series of high-profile clashes between Lula and Israel’s leadership.
Last year, Lula ignited a diplomatic firestorm when he compared Israel’s military actions in Gaza to Adolf Hitler’s Holocaust against the Jews during World War II.
“What is happening in Gaza is not war—it is genocide,” Lula declared. “It is a war of a trained military against women and children… something only comparable to what Hitler did to the Jews.”
The remarks triggered an immediate backlash. Brazil’s ambassador to Israel was summoned for a formal reprimand, and Jerusalem declared Lula persona non grata. In retaliation, Lula recalled Brazil’s ambassador from Israel and summoned Israel’s own envoy to Brasília for a dressing down.
Despite the uproar, Lula doubled down, posting defiantly on X:
“What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide. Children and women are being murdered.”
The standoff marks a stark contrast from the warm bilateral ties under former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was a vocal pro-Israel ally. Today, under Lula, relations have plunged into one of their most hostile phases in decades, with no sign of reconciliation on the horizon.
