The diplomatic rift between Israel and Brazil is deepening. After Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva refused to approve the appointment of Gali Dagan as Israel's ambassador to Brazil, Brazilian authorities are now also refusing to approve the appointment of Vivian Eisen as Israel's consul general in São Paulo, a nomination approved by the Israeli government in February.
The move means that when the current consul general in São Paulo, Rafi Erdreich, returns to Israel in the coming weeks at the end of his term, Israel will have neither an ambassador in Brasília nor a consul general in Brazil. The consulate in São Paulo is Israel's only consular mission in the country, meaning bilateral relations will be managed by relatively junior diplomats.
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Israeli officials don't expect significant change in relations with Brazil before that country's presidential election in October
(Photo: Jack Guez/ AFP)
Erdreich is set to conclude a five-year posting after the Foreign Ministry previously extended his tenure by a year to avoid leaving the mission without a senior representative amid the worsening crisis between the two countries. Now that his assignment has ended and he is required to return to Israel, the government has appointed a successor, but Brazil is refusing to approve her arrival.
Israel's embassy in Brasília is currently headed by Counselor and Chargé d'Affaires Rasha Athamni. In 2017, Athamni made history as the first Muslim accepted into the Israeli Foreign Ministry's prestigious cadet program before going on to serve as a diplomat.
Israeli officials do not expect any significant change in relations with Brazil before the country's presidential election, scheduled for October. Lula is expected to face Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, a staunch supporter of Israel. Polls indicate the race is extremely close.
"This is another low point in the relationship, and it is not good for Brazil, Israel or the Jewish community. I hope that people in both countries are working to improve relations as soon as possible," said Andre Lajst, CEO of StandWithUs Brasil, a pro-Israel organization that works to strengthen ties between the two countries and improve Israel's image in Brazil.
Lula, 80, served as Brazil's president from 2003 to 2011. He was later charged with corruption, convicted and sentenced to nine and a half years in prison. His conviction was subsequently overturned, allowing him to return to politics and win another term in office.
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Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has emerged as one of Israel's harshest critics on the world stage
(Photo: Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool via Reuters)
During his current presidency, particularly after the October 7 massacre and the subsequent war in Gaza, Lula has emerged as one of Israel's harshest critics on the world stage.
In May 2025, the Brazilian president — whom Israel declared persona non grata — announced that he was recalling Brazil's ambassador from Tel Aviv.
Throughout the war, Lula has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and drew comparisons between Israel's actions and the extermination of Jews by Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.
"What is happening in the Gaza Strip is not a war, but a genocide," Lula told reporters during a visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.