Brazil's Bolsonaro Arrives in Israel for Pre-Vote Visit
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro began a visit to Israel Sunday with a decision pending on fulfilling a promise to move his country's embassy to Jerusalem (al-Quds), a policy change opposed by military officers in his cabinet.
The four-day visit by the far-right leader comes a week before Israel's closely contested election in which the right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is battling a popular centrist candidate and corruption allegations, which he denies.
"I love Israel," Bolsonaro said in Hebrew at a welcoming ceremony, with Netanyahu at his side, at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport, Reuters reported.
Netanyahu said he and Bolsonaro would sign "many agreements", including security deals, and that the Brazilian leader would visit the Western Wall in occupied al-Quds.
Earlier this month, a Brazilian government official said no decision had been made on the embassy move, but "something will have to be said about the embassy during the trip".
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that a formal announcement might not come during the visit.
Visiting Brazil for the Jan. 1 presidential inauguration, Netanyahu said Bolsonaro had told him that moving the Brazilian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv was a matter of "when, not if".
Like Netanyahu, Bolsonaro is an outspoken admirer of US President Donald Trump, who moved the US embassy to Jerusalem last May, five months after breaking with international consensus and recognizing the city as Israel's capital.
