Brazil has refused to accept the appointment of Israel’s newly designated ambassador, deepening the ongoing diplomatic crisis between Jerusalem and Brasilia, according to a report on Monday by the Brazilian outlet Gazeta do Povo.
According to the report, Gali Dagan, formerly Israel’s ambassador to Colombia, did not receive approval from Brazilian authorities to assume his new role, after the previous ambassador completed his term last week.
The move is the latest in a series of actions taken by the government of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose administration has adopted an increasingly hostile posture toward the State of Israel, particularly following the outbreak of war against Hamas on October 7.
Responding to the report, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement detailing the deterioration in bilateral relations.
“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 Brazilian President Lula a persona non grata.”
“After Brazil failed, contrary to custom, to respond to the request for approval of Ambassador Dagan, Israel withdrew the request, and relations between the two countries are now being conducted at a lower diplomatic level. The Foreign Ministry continues to maintain deep ties with the many circles of friends Israel has in Brazil,” the statement added.
Last year, da Silva caused an uproar when he compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler against Jews during World War II.
“What is happening in the Gaza Strip is not war. This is genocide. It is not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It is a war between a trained military against women and children. What is happening in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian people has not happened at almost any other time in history. In fact, it only happened once; when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” the Brazilian President charged.
Brazil’s Ambassador to Israel was later summoned by the Foreign Ministry for a reprimand in the wake of da Silva’s comments, and was informed that da Silva was considered persona non grata in Israel.
Later, da Silva announced that the Brazilian ambassador to Israel would be recalled and that Brazil has decided to summon Israel’s ambassador to the country for a reprimand.
Despite the uproar over his comments, the Brazilian President doubled down on his rhetoric, writing on X, “What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide. Children and women are being murdered.”
This stands in stark contrast to the relations between Israel when former President Jair Bolsonaro, a staunch supporter of Israel, was in office.