Good morning! Brazil’s curious new ‘business office’ in Jerusalem. Pension reform back in the limelight with Guedes. The government’s eloge to the dictatorship.
Brazil’s curious new ‘business office’ in Jerusalem
Visiting Israel until Wednesday, President Jair Bolsonaro has decided to find a middle-ground solution for his promise to move Brazil’s embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem: he announced the opening of a business office in the city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians.
The president intended to pander to Brazil’s congressional evangelicals—who believe the Jewish people is entitled to their Holy Land—without creating problems for halal meat producers.
In the end, though, the move could backfire from all angles—being considered not enough by the groups Mr. Bolsonaro sought to please, and creating rifts with Muslim-majority countries. The immediate reaction was Palestine calling its ambassador back.
Even if the country has no significant trade relations with Brazil, it could motivate a similar move from the Arab League—which has already threatened to boycott Brazilian halal exports. In 2018, almost 50% of Brazil’s poultry exports were halal. Plus, Brazilian companies are responsible for 20% of all halal beef sold in the world.
Moreover, the move is empty. Business offices are placed in countries with...