Israel’s decision to withdraw the application for an ambassador came after Brazil refused to approve Gali Dagan as the new ambassador from Israel.
Diplomatic relations between Israel and Brazil are now operating “at a low level,” the foreign ministry confirmed after Israel withdrew its request to appoint a new ambassador to Brazil.
The decision to withdraw the application came after Brazil refused to approve Gali Dagan as the new ambassador from Israel.
“After Brazil, unusually, refrained from replying to Ambassador Dagan’s request for agrément, Israel withdrew the request, and relations between the countries are now being conducted at a lower diplomatic level,” the foreign ministry confirmed.
The ministry further added that the “critical and hostile line that Brazil has displayed toward Israel” has worsened since Hamas ignited the war with its terror attack in 2023 and was further “intensified” by comments made throughout the duration of the war by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
China’s Premier Li Qiang, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, attend the BRICS Summit, at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 6, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/RICARDO MORAES)
Brazil’s declining relationship with Israel
Lula has been declared “persona non grata,” after he accused Israel of carrying out a genocide in Gaza and drawing on Holocaust references to illustrate his claim.
The country also joined South Africa’s case against Israel at the Hague, formalizing Lula’s accusations of genocide.
In July, Brazil withdrew from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, where it had served as an observer member since 2021.
Brazil, a member of BRICS, also has relations with Iran despite its attacks against the Jewish state, including civilian populations, and long record of human rights abuses.
Brazil has not had an ambassador in Israel since it withdrew the former ambassador last year.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.