Brazil has refused to accredit Israel’s new envoy Gali Dagan, escalating a bitter diplomatic standoff fueled by President Lula’s repeated accusations of “genocide” in Gaza.
A fresh diplomatic rift has erupted between Jerusalem and Brasilia, as Brazil has refused to accept the appointment of Israel’s newly designated ambassador, deepening an already fraught relationship. The report, first published Monday by Brazilian outlet Gazeta do Povo, revealed that Israeli diplomat Gali Dagan—formerly ambassador to Colombia—was denied approval to assume his new post after the previous envoy completed his term last week.
The move is the latest escalation under Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose government has adopted an increasingly hostile stance toward Israel since the October 7 Hamas attacks and ensuing war in Gaza.
Responding to the snub, Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement:
“Since October 7, Brazil has displayed a critical and hostile stance toward Israel, which intensified when its President compared Israel’s actions to those of the Nazis. In response, Israel declared President Lula persona non grata.”
The ministry confirmed that, after Brazil failed to grant the customary approval for Ambassador Dagan, Israel withdrew the request, leaving bilateral relations downgraded to a lower diplomatic tier.
The diplomatic rupture follows a series of incendiary remarks by Lula. In February, he ignited global outrage by comparing Israel’s Gaza campaign to Hitler’s extermination of the Jews during the Holocaust:
“What is happening in Gaza is not war, it is genocide… This has only happened once before: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
Israel promptly summoned Brazil’s ambassador for a reprimand and formally declared Lula persona non grata. In retaliation, Lula recalled Brazil’s ambassador from Tel Aviv and summoned Israel’s envoy in Brasilia for censure, doubling down on his rhetoric by posting on X: “What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide.”
The downturn marks a dramatic reversal from the era of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a staunch ally of Israel who enjoyed warm ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Under Lula, however, Brazil has aligned itself more closely with Spain, Ireland, and other governments pushing for the recognition of a Palestinian state and accusing Israel of “war crimes.”
With no ambassadorial approval and sharp words on both sides, the Brazil–Israel relationship is now at one of its lowest points in decades.
