Tensions Hit New Low as Israel Is Left Without an Ambassador or Consul in Brazil

The diplomatic crisis between Israel and Brazil is worsening. After Brazilian President Lula da Silva refused to approve the appointment of Gal Dagan as Israel’s ambassador to the country, the authorities are also refusing to approve the appointment of Vivian Eisen as Israel’s consul general in Sao Paulo, an appointment that was approved by the government in February.

This means that when the current consul general in Sao Paulo, Rafi Ardreich, returns to Israel soon at the end of his term, Israel will have neither an ambassador in Brasilia nor a consul general, since the Sao Paulo consulate is Israel’s only consular mission in the country. Relations will therefore be handled by relatively junior diplomats. Ardreich is soon set to complete a five-year term, after the Foreign Ministry had already extended his tenure by one year so Israel would not be left without a mission head amid the deepening crisis between the countries. Now that his posting has ended and he is required to return to Israel, the government appointed a replacement, but Brazil, as noted, is refusing to approve her arrival.

Israel’s embassy in Brasilia is now being run by the number two official, Raheh Othmani, who in 2017 made history when she became the first Muslim woman admitted to the Foreign Ministry’s prestigious cadet course and later served as a diplomat. In Israel, officials estimate there will be no change in relations with Brazil until the elections scheduled there in October. The current president, da Silva, is running against Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is considered a supporter of Israel. Polls show the race between them is very close.

Andre Leyst, CEO of StandWithUs Brasil, a pro-Israel organization in Brazil that works to strengthen ties between the two countries and improve Israel’s image in Brazil, said, "This is another low point in relations, and it is not good for Brazil, Israel or the Jewish community. I hope that in both countries people are working to improve relations between the countries as soon as possible."

The 80-year-old da Silva served as president from 2003 to 2011, but was later accused of corruption, convicted and sentenced to 9.5 years in prison. His sentence was later overturned and he was released, allowing him to run again and win the election. During his current term, especially after the October 7 massacre and the war in Gaza that followed, he has become one of Israel’s harshest critics in the world. In May last year, the Brazilian president, whom Israel declared persona non grata, announced that he was recalling his ambassador from Tel Aviv. During the war, Lula accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and even compared its actions to the extermination of the Jewish people by Hitler and the Nazis. "What is happening in the Gaza Strip is not a war, but genocide," he told reporters during a visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.