Brazil

Diplomatic Row Over Lula’s Comments

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Diplomatic Row Over Lula’s Comments


Posted on YouTube: February 20, 2024

The President of Brazil, President Lula, has made some comments comparing the plight of Palestinians in Gaza to the Holocaust.

Well, the Israeli spin machine was furious.

Israel’s Netanyahu slams Brazilian president’s comparison of Gaza war to the Holocaust
February 18, 2024

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (AP) — Israel on Sunday condemned Brazil’s president for comparing the war in Gaza to the Holocaust, accusing him of being antisemitic and trivializing the Nazi genocide of European Jews during World War II.

The outcry further strained relations between the countries, which have deteriorated since President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva returned to office last year. Lula has portrayed himself as a leader of the “ Global South,” a loosely defined group of developing countries.

Of course, Israel goes into attack mode with any comparison of its operations in Gaza to what the Nazis did to the Jews in Europe in World War II.

But Colombia and Brazil are standing by Brazil.

Colombia, Bolivia back Brazil’s Lula in Israel row over Gaza war comments
21 Feb 2024

Colombia and Bolivia are backing Brazil as its diplomatic row with Israel escalated after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, comparing its actions with the Holocaust.

Well, Brazil was wrong, to be sure. But was it wise for Israel to make this a bigger issue than it should be?

Brazil Is Looking to Expand Halal Exports

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Brazil Is Looking to Expand Halal Exports

The Jews have kosher, the Muslims have Halal. And Brazil is looking to increase its share of exports aimed at the world’s Muslim community.

Source: Brazil: Halal Do Brasil Project Expands Product Promotion
January 16, 2024

Sao Paulo – In 2023, the Halal do Brasil Project presented halal products (produced under the laws of Islam) to consumers and business people worldwide in actions in Arab countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Germany, in addition to Brazil itself. The goal for 2024 is to expand the promotion and visibility of these products. The project is a partnership between the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil). It started in January 2023 and will run until April 2025, when it could be renewed. Pictured above, Brazilian halal products promotion in a show.

As nations go, Brazil has a low percentage of Muslims in its population, far less than 1%. Moreover, Brazil is almost one-third Evangelical Christian, with a large pro-Zionist community.

Not exactly the kind of place one would expect to find a drive to export halal (Muslim religiously accepted) food products.

But roughly 15 million people in Brazil are Arab in whole or part, albeit almost all Christian. And they would want to make money exporting Brazil’s foodstuffs to the world, even the Arab world.


Posted on YouTube: December 30, 2022
I know the video’s data is dated, but the video
itself is only 13 months up on YouTube.

Religion aside, there is money to be made. Brazil is trying to increase its share of the market.

Brazil’s Arab ethnic groups give Brazil an edge.

Which Way Does Brazil Swing?

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Which Way Does Brazil Swing?


Posted on YouTube: October 12, 2023
This video can be auto-translated.
A German news site, Deutsche Welle, examines Brazil’s stand on the Gaza War.

The video above gives a good, short history of Brazil’s relationship with Israel.

Like the United States, Brazil is very divided.

The government is presently run by a center-left president (Lulu), who would probably lean to a more pro-Palestinian position. However, 31% of the population is Evangelical Christian and they swing Zionist.

The former president, Bolsonaro, was very pro-Israel, and got baptized into the Evangelical church in the Jordan River.

Source: Bolsonaro shores up evangelical support in tight Brazil election
by Brian Ellsworth and Fernando Cardoso
October 27, 2022

…

Bolsonaro, was raised Catholic and baptized in the Jordan River by an evangelical pastor during a visit to Israel prior to his 2018 election, as part of a broader effort to boost his appeal among the key religious bloc.

…

(Read More)

This division constrains Brazil’s official position on the MidEast.


Posted on YouTube: May 20, 2014


Posted on YouTube: June 10, 2022

As one Brazilian told me, when Brazil becomes 50% Evangelical – and that day may not be long off – Brazil’s foreign policy will totally flip.

Evangelicals versus Iran in Latin America

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Evangelicals versus Iran in Latin America


Posted on YouTube: November 13, 2023

Iran’s influence is continuing to grow, not only in the support of Hezbollah operatives, but especially through the netcasting and broadcasting of HispanTV, which sends out Iranian propaganda to the continent. And Iran assists the dictatorial regime in Venezuela.

Source: Why Iran’s Growing Influence in Venezuela Challenges the West
VOA
Michael Lipin
March 11, 2023

WASHINGTON —
Iran is striving to expand its influence in fellow U.S. adversary Venezuela, which is hosting an Iranian cultural fair this week and seeking Iranian assistance to revive the ailing Venezuelan energy industry.

…

(Read More)

Iran is troublemaking in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in this area of propaganda.

Whatever one thinks of pro-Jewish or pro-Israel lobbies in the United States, they are an antidote to some really ugly antisemitic disinformation out there. Indeed, Latin America is often drenched with anti-Israel agitprop that would not have been tolerated in the USA, until recently, which is a sad commentary on recent developments.

The anti-Israel indoctrination that America is sadly seeing now, Latin America has been drenched with for a long time.

Yet, oddly, Iran’s influence is more political than religious.

Why not religious?

Because Islam is being countered in Latin America – not by Jewish influence, as the Jewish population is usually small – but rather by a large and growing Evangelical Christian movement.

In Brazil, the population is 31% Evangelical.
In El Salvador, the population is 40% Evangelical — more than Catholics.
In Guatemala, the population is 40% Evangelical.
In Honduras, the population is 40% Evangelical.
In Chile, the population is 18% Evangelical.
In Argentina, the population is 15% Evangelical.

These Evangelicals tend to be very pro-Zionist.

So Iran’s influence is limited to the political arena, which is scary enough, though even in politics, the Evangelical church is competing successfully.

In the case of Chile and Brazil, the growing Evangelical power base has not stopped the governments from criticizing Israel, but it will prevent some of the Latin governments from going too far.

In one nation, Guatemala, the Evangelicals have made the country very friendly to Israel.


Posted on YouTube: February 18, 2022

El Salvador is particularly interesting, as it has an influential Palestinian (chiefly Christian) minority population. The Palestinian Christians tend to be more Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, though.


Posted on YouTube: May 26, 2019

Their present president, Nayib Bukele, is of Palestinian origin, yet somewhat pro-Israel.

So the Evangelicals are winning.

December 22, 2023 — major rewrite and title change.

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