Brazil is not a typical Latin American country, and so it had a very controversial presidential election in 2022.
Brazil is roughly one-third Evangelical Christian (Baptist, Pentecostal, etc.) — and most of those Evangelicals support Israel. In their recent election, these Evangelical voters tended to support the right-wing conservative Jair Bolsonaro who has been very friendly to Israel.
Bolsonaro had also gone so far as to be baptized an Evangelical, himself.
Source:BRASILIA (Reuters) SEPTEMBER 27, 2018
On a visit to Israel two years ago, far-right Brazilian lawmaker Jair Bolsonaro leaned back into the River Jordan in a white robe to be baptized in the arms of a fellow congressman and evangelical pastor.
Jair Bolsonaro was controversial and attracted not only Christian support, but also support from right-wing loonies. Though he supported Israel, some of his supporters were Neo-Nazi types, which was a horrifying contradiction.
No wonder Bolsonaro was considered the Donald Trump of Latin America.
Further complicating the matter is that Brazil has roughly 15 million citizens of Arab descent vs. only about 110,000 Jews. The Arabs outnumber the Jewish vote about 150 to 1.
However, thankfully, most of those Arab-Brazilians are Christian, and the Lebanese Maronites among them would probably not be pro-Palestinian. The Maronites of Lebanon were historically hostile to the Palestinians.
Bolsonaro’s opponent for the presidency was Luis Inácio Lula da Silva (called by his middle name: Lula). Lula was leftist and friendly to Palestine during his previous administrations.
The election came down to a controversial runoff, and Jewish voters in Brazil were conflicted.
Source: Times of Israel: 30 October 2022
Many Jews have taken note of how Bolsonaro has been historically close with Israel for a Brazilian leader.
He boosted his relations with the Brazilian Jewish community in April 2017, when the then-congressman was invited to speak at Rio’s Hebraica club, a hub of sport and cultural activities founded in 1957 by European Jewish immigrants.
Posted on YouTube: April 3, 2017
Source: Description under video, translated by Google
THANKS TO THE HEBRAICA OF RIO DE JANEIRO When asked what he would do if he had the power of the presidential pen, Jair Bolsonaro recalls that he is not a candidate for anything and gives this answer. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the Board of Directors of Hebraica Carioca for granting space for democracy and allowing a lecture by someone who unconditionally supports Israel and respects the Jews. Winston Churchill once said “the fascists of the future will call themselves anti-fascists”. Shalom! 🇧🇷
Contrariwise, during his previous time in office, Lula had been semi-hostile to Israeli concerns.
Source: Times of Israel: 30 October 2022
In 2009, da Silva warmly welcomed former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a notorious Holocaust denier whose regime persecuted minorities and critics, for a visit that drew international criticism.
During his first official visit to Israel in 2010, da Silva refused to visit Theodor Herzl’s grave, which was part of the itinerary for visiting foreign officials in honor of the 150th birthday of the father of Zionism.
Days after, he laid a wreath at Yasser Arafat’s grave in Ramallah.
In the final month of his administration, his government officially recognized Palestine as a state.
As can be imagined, Pro-Palestinians activists were rooting for Lula.
Source: Middle East Eye 27 October 2022
Brazil elections: Why the stakes are huge for Palestinians
A second term for right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro could further erode support for the Palestinians in South America, experts say
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Nowhere is this more visible than when it comes to Israel and Palestine. And with Brazil being home to roughly half of Latin America’s population, its leanings on the issue may influence the rest of the continent.
The Israeli/Palestinian crisis was certainly a factor in the Brazilian election of 2022.
Well, Lula won the election by a questionable razor thin margin, and there was a lot of turmoil over the result in Brazil.
Posted on YouTube: November 16, 2022
For some time, Bolsonaro supporters hit the streets in protest, and the Right said the election was stolen — and it looked like the Right had a case. But Bolsonaro agreed to a turnover, not wanting a coup nor violence.
Lula is expected to be sworn in on January 1, 2023
How this will eventually affect the Mideast remains to be seen.
Personally, I think Bolsonaro was the better man.
