Diplomatic crisis escalates between Brazil and Israel

Palestinian news agency Ma’an, citing Gazeta do Povo, added that Brazil has decided to delay the appointment of Israel’s new ambassador. According to Ma’an, this decision deepens the diplomatic crisis between Brazil and Israel under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva over the genocide in Gaza.

Earlier this year, Gali Dagan, former Israeli ambassador to Colombia, was appointed to succeed Daniel Zohar-Zoninshtein, Israel’s current ambassador to Brazil, who resigned last week.

However, according to Gazeta do Povo, Dagan has not received Brasília’s approval for his appointment as Israel’s ambassador to Brazil.

This development comes after Brazil’s decision last month to withdraw from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), the main organization combating so-called anti-Semitism.

Shortly after that decision, the Lula administration announced that it would join South Africa’s complaint against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

Since then, relations between Israel and Brazil have not improved — and, in fact, have worsened.

Brazil’s ambassador to the occupied Palestinian territories has also not returned to Tel Aviv since February last year, following his recall for consultations in Brasília.