Brazil: Who is presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro?
He was still relatively unknown in Brazil just a few months ago. The 45-year-old senator is now neck and neck with incumbent President Lula in the polls for the upcoming presidential election. Flavio Bolsonaro's victory would add Brazil to the long list of Latin American countries that have shifted to the right or far right in recent months.
Israel is strategically betting on a potential comeback of Flavio Bolsonaro in Brazil's upcoming presidential election. Flavio, the son of former far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, is set to launch his campaign in Sao Paulo. In a pre-recorded video, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Flavio, praising him as a champion of Brazil and a great friend of Israel.
Bolsonaro's potential victory would provide Israel with a strategic ally, especially considering Israel's growing isolation in the international community due to the Gaza Strip situation. Flavio has promised to transfer the Brazilian embassy to Jerusalem and join the "Isaac Accords," an initiative proposed by Argentina's President Javier Milei. He has also adopted Israel's pro-Israel stance, aiming to revive the Israeli-Brazilian partnership of his father's presidency.
This relationship between Israel and the Bolsonaro family runs deep, encompassing military, police, evangelical blocs, and defence industry ties. These connections have only grown stronger under both left and right governments. Eduardo Bolsonaro, Flavio's brother, has been a key figure in cultivating this relationship. In 2025, Eduardo helped pressure Brazilian authorities to drop a war crimes investigation against an Israeli soldier, setting a precedent.
Current polls show a tight race between incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro, with each candidate at 38.4% in the first round. A runoff on October 25th could favor Lula, but a close victory for Bolsonaro would still benefit Israel, signaling that Israel's isolation is not permanent.
Written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Netanyahu's man: How Israel is betting on a Bolsonaro comeback in Brazil middleeasteye.net
