Overview

• Brazilian outlet Gazeta do Povo reported that Brasilia would not approve Israel’s proposed ambassador, Gali Dagan, after the previous envoy in Brasília ended his term.
• The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Brazil failed to respond to the agrément request, prompting Israel to withdraw the nomination and move relations to a lower diplomatic level.
• Israel previously declared President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva persona non grata after he compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to those of the Nazis and called them genocide.
• With Daniel Zonshine’s departure from Brasília and Dagan’s stalled approval, Israel currently has no ambassador in Brazil, and Haaretz reports Brazil currently has no ambassador in Israel.
• The reported setback follows broader tensions since October 7, including Brazil’s announced exit from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in late July.