Israeli Politics09 October, 20262 min read
Benjamin Netanyahu Congratulates Flávio Bolsonaro, Invites Him To Visit Israel
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Netanyahu congratulated Flávio Bolsonaro on finishing first in the first round. He invited Bolsonaro to visit Israel to renew the deep friendship.
9 outlets told this the same way.
Phone call and invitation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone with Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro and congratulated him for finishing first in the first round of this week’s presidential elections, according to the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel. Netanyahu invited Bolsonaro to visit Israel, and Bolsonaro reciprocated by inviting Netanyahu to visit Brazil, as both sides said they intended to “renew the deep friendship” between the two countries.
“Netanyahu invited Bolsonaro to visit Israel, while Bolsonaro extended an invitation to the prime minister to visit Brazil.”
The Israeli readout said the call was “extremely warm” and that Eduardo Bolsonaro, Flávio Bolsonaro’s brother and adviser, attended the conversation. The sources tied the timing to the Brazilian runoff, with Flávio Bolsonaro set to face current president Lula da Silva in a second round on October 25, while Netanyahu also faces Israel’s general election on October 27.
Election numbers and polls
Flávio Bolsonaro obtained 47.03% of the votes in the first round, compared with 45.16% for Lula da Silva, but was 2.96 percentage points short of reaching the presidency of Brazil, according to official results cited in the sources. The sources also reported vote totals in millions, with the right-wing candidate receiving 56.1 million votes compared with 53.9 million for the current president.
Datafolha gave Bolsonaro 52% of valid votes to 48% for da Silva within the margin of error, while Atlas Intel, in cooperation with Bloomberg, gave Bolsonaro 52.8% to 47.2% for his rival. The Al-Jazirah Net source added that a Pew Research Center poll found 64% of Brazilians do not trust Netanyahu’s ability to make sound decisions on international issues, while 21% expressed confidence.
What the backing signals
The Israeli prime minister’s office framed the Netanyahu-Bolsonaro rapprochement as part of a broader shift, saying “Both intend to renew the deep friendship between the two countries” as part of “the transformation taking place in Israel’s relations with the countries of South America.” The sources linked the political outreach to Israel’s desire to strengthen ties in Latin America, with the Al-Jazirah Net source describing Netanyahu’s support as beginning months ago and citing Bolsonaro’s earlier January visit to Israel with Eduardo Bolsonaro.
The Al-Jazirah Net source also connected the relationship to Brazil-Israel tensions during Lula da Silva’s presidency, noting that Lula accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in the Gaza Strip, an accusation Jerusalem rejects categorically. The AJN Agencia de Noticias source said a potential Bolsonaro victory would return Brazil to the position of a close ally of Israel amid a conservative and pro-Israeli shift throughout Latin America, while the Al-Jazirah Net source raised questions about whether Netanyahu’s backing would help Bolsonaro with Brazilian voters.