Brazil Fails to Condemn Iran’s Missile Barrage on Israel, Urging ‘Restraint’ in Response

Brazilian Jewish community organizations accused the government of radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of siding with Iran following the unprecedented missile attack on Israel this past weekend, noting its failure to condemn Tehran.

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry released a statement on Saturday stating it was following Iran’s attack on Israel with “grave concern” but, unlike much of the free world, failed to issue any kind of condemnation against Iran. Instead, the Foreign Ministry urged both parties to “exercise maximum restraint” and called for efforts by the international community to avoid an escalation of the confrontation.

The Brazilian government’s statement was criticized by the Israeli Ambassador to Brazil Daniel Zonshine, who told CNN in an interview on Sunday that his government was “very disappointed” in the lack of clear condemnation of the bombing.

“I looked, but I didn’t find any kind of condemnation, unfortunately. I was very disappointed,” Zonshine said. “I think that when there is this kind of attack, and Brazil accepts it, or at least doesn’t condemn it, as I said, I was very disappointed that it didn’t happen. I hope we won’t have to continue with these kinds of messages.”

The Brazilian government’s statement drew the condemnation of the Israeli Confederation of Brazil (CONIB), the largest Brazilian Jewish community organization in the country. CONIB’s president, Claudio Lottenberg, released a statement on Sunday describing the response of Lula’s government to the attack on Israel as “regrettable” and “frustrating,” accusing the Brazilian government of siding with Iran.

“The Brazilian government’s position is once again frustrating. The democratic world and several Middle Eastern countries have joined Israel in condemning and combating Iran’s attack,” the statement read.

“Brazil’s current foreign policy, on the other hand, has chosen to side with the Iranian theocracy, once again deviating from our historic diplomatic line of condemning aggression of this kind. Regrettable,” the statement concluded.

Similarly, the Brazil-Israel Institute (IBI), a nongovernmental organization, lamented the Brazilian government’s refusal to condemn Iran in a series of social media posts published on Sunday.

IBI noted that, while several democratic nations – including neighboring nations, the European Union, and other international organizations – condemned the Islamic regime, the Brazilian government refused to condemn Iran for its attack on Israel.

“The Brazilian government, unfortunately, chose not to take a firm stance, did not condemn the attacks, did not show solidarity with the Israeli families and chose to leave room for doubt about what happened in the early hours of yesterday morning,” the statement read.

The statement continued:

By noting that it “follows with grave concern reports of Iran sending drones and missiles towards Israel”. Under the eyes of the world, there is no doubt about what happened. 

In short, the Brazilian government – which wants to take part in negotiations that will lead to lasting peace in the region – has once again missed the opportunity to share firm, fair and appeasing words.

We hope that the experienced professionals who lead Brazilian diplomacy will, in future, be able to adopt more balanced stances in the face of the sad and complex reality that plagues the region.

The Brazilian government’s refusal to condemn Iran for its attack on Israel marks the Lula administration’s latest action to further strain the relationship between Brazil and Israel.

Lula has repeatedly accused Israel of committing “genocide” and murdering “women and children” in its self-defense operations following the October 7 massacre of civilians in the country by the Hamas jihadist terrorist organization. On that day, Hamas killed roughly 1,200 citizens and took hundreds hostage as it engaged in acts of torture, gang rape, and other atrocities. Lula has also repeatedly demanded that the United Nations recognize “Palestine” as a state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Shortly after his first “genocide” accusation in February, Lula compared Israel’s self-defense actions to the actions committed by Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler during the Holocaust.

“What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments. In fact, it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” Lula said during a press conference in Addis Ababa.

The Israeli government responded to Lula’s Nazi Germany comparisons by declaring him persona non grata and banning him from visiting Israel until he formally retracts his comments and issues an apology. Brazilian government officials have asserted that Lula will not issue an apology.