Brazil-Israel diplomatic ties strained following envoy appointment standoff

The Brazilian government has delayed approval of Israel’s nominee for ambassador to the country, the newspaper Gazeta do Povo wrote on August 25.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the move, stating that Jerusalem had withdrawn its request for agreement to the appointment of Ambassador Gali Dagan after Brazil did not respond. The ministry said relations between the two countries will now be conducted at a lower diplomatic level, Caliber.Az reports per The Times of Israel. 

“After Brazil, unusually, refrained from replying to Ambassador [Gali] Dagan’s request for agrément, Israel withdrew the request, and relations between the countries are now being conducted at a lower diplomatic level,” read a statement from the ministry.

The decision marks the latest development in a period of strained relations. Tensions deepened after Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to the Holocaust, a remark that led Israel to declare him “persona non grata.” Brazil also recalled its ambassador from Israel in February 2024 and has yet to name a replacement.

Last month, Brazil withdrew from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), a step that drew criticism from Jewish organisations and international partners. Shortly afterward, Brazil joined South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Brazil’s position toward Israel has grown more critical since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks. Nevertheless, it emphasised that ties remain strong with “many circles of friends in Brazil.”

The present diplomatic standoff recalls a similar episode in 2015, when Brazil declined to accept the nomination of Dani Dayan as Israel’s envoy. Israel later named Yossi Shelley to the post, who has faced his own controversies during his diplomatic career.

At present, neither country has an ambassador stationed in the other’s capital.

By Sabina Mammadli