Brazil’s Lula fires Israel ambassador as part of pro-Palestine shift
Former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro was a strong supporter of Israel and friend of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Brazil’s ambassador to Israel was dismissed on Thursday as the country's new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva moves the country toward a more neutral position on Israel-Palestine, and therefore on a more turbulent with the Benjamin Netanyahu government.
The Brazilian Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Gerson Menandro Garcia de Freitas has been relieved from his duties in Tel Aviv, according to a press release.
Lula was inaugurated as president on Jan. 1 after a close election last October that supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro are still disputing. He was previously president from 2003 to 2010.
Freitas was appointed to the position by Bolsonaro.
