Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will arrive in Israel in late March, but will probably not announce the transfer of his country’s embassy to Jerusalem, according to a Reuters report published Thursday morning. According to that report, Bolsonaru will have to abandon his election promises to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel following strong opposition from military officers in Brazil’s cabinet.
An official in Bolsonaro’s government told Reuters that Bolsunaro’s government is yet to reach a decision on the embassy transfer – which could boost Prime Minister Netanyahu’s standing in the election polls.
“President Bolsonaro will have to say something about the transfer of the embassy during his visit to Israel,” scheduled for March 31 to April 2, the anonymous official agreed, but suggested it would not be an announcement of an actual move.
Netanyahu and his wife last December were among foreign guests in Bolsonaro’s inauguration. They were met by Eduardo Bolsonaro, the president’s son.
A senior member of the Israeli delegation told reporters at the time that the prime minister had asked the Brazilian president to implement his election promise: recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the transfer of the embassy from Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu also asked Bolsonaro to change the way Brazil votes on Israel-related issues in international forums.
