Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, launched one of its broadest invasions on Israeli territory in 50 years. Israel has retaliated with large-scale airstrikes, resulting in the reported deaths of hundreds — possibly thousands — on both sides.
The conflict puts Brazilian diplomacy in the spotlight, as the country holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.
If President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva or his close advisors make controversial statements — like many of the comments they have made on the Russia-Ukraine war — the Brazilian government could further deteriorate its political capital vis-à-vis the international community.
It’s worth remembering that Western powers have heavily criticized the current administration for relativizing Russian aggression against Ukraine.
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In this episode:
- Guilherme Casarões is an international relations professor at think tank Fundação Getulio Vargas. He is the co-founder of the Observatory of the Far-Right, a project to monitor the behavior of extremist groups in the political arena.
Background reading about Brazil’s stance on the Israel-Palestine issue:
- Hamas attacks on Israel pose a challenge to Brazilian diplomacy, editor-in-chief Gustavo Ribeiro argued in our Brazil Weekly newsletter.
- A spokesman for the Israeli military said that Brazilian citizens are among those held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
- The Brazilian right-wing criticized the Lula administration and other leftist politicians for not naming Hamas in statements condemning attacks on civilians in Israel.
- Former President Jair Bolsonaro tried to link Lula’s Workers’ Party to Hamas, as the militant group congratulated Lula for his electoral victory in 2022. “The Hamas official considered da Silva’s election a victory for all oppressed people around the globe, particularly the Palestinian people, for he is known for his strong and continued support for the Palestinians at all international forums,” Hamas said in October 2022.
- Brazilian diplomacy has historically defended a two-state solution. The biggest inflection in its approach to the conflict came during the Bolsonaro era. Brazilian evangelical Christians — one of Mr. Bolsonaro’s key constituencies — argue that the Bible specifies that Jewish people are the chosen ones, and therefore Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
- After taking office in 2019, Mr. Bolsonaro promised to move Brazil’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. After the move backfired from all angles, he decided to open a business office in Jerusalem instead.
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