Netanyahu invites Brazil presidential candidate Bolsonaro to Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken with Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and invited him to Israel, aiming to “renew the deep friendship” between the countries, his office said Friday.

Right-wing Bolsonaro is leading in the polls against incumbent leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and his victory would bring a more pro-Israel stance to Latin America’s most populous country.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke last night with the Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and congratulated him on his major achievement in the first round of the presidential elections,” his office said in a statement, adding that Bolsonaro’s brother Eduardo also took part in the call.

“The prime minister invited Bolsonaro to visit Israel, and Bolsonaro, for his part, invited the prime minister to visit Brazil.”

“The two intend to renew the deep friendship between the two countries, as part of the transformation taking place in Israel’s relations with South American countries,” the statement added.

Brazilians will vote in runoff presidential elections on October 25, while Netanyahu will also face the ballot box in Israel’s general election on October 27.

Several right-wing leaders with pro-Israel positions have won elections across Latin America in recent years, including in Argentina and Colombia.

Bolsonaro, 45, is the eldest son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest for plotting a coup after losing Brazil’s last election in 2022.

The younger Bolsonaro was leading in polls on Thursday, which gave the senator 52 percent compared to Lula’s 48 percent, according to Brazil’s Datafolha institute.