In addition to moving his country’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Brazilian president-elect Jair Bolsonaro plans to shut down the Palestinian embassy in Brasilia.
“Is Palestine a country? Palestine is not a country, so there should be no embassy here,” said Bolsonaro recently. “You do not negotiate with terrorists.”
Bolsonaro won his national election on Sunday with 55.1 percent of the votes, according to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
He has stated that his first international trip as president will be to Israel. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Bolsonaro on his electoral victory and invited him to Israel.
“I am confident that your election will lead to a great friendship between the two peoples and to the strengthening of ties between Brazil and Israel,” Netanyahu told Bolsonaro, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office. “We await your visit to Israel,” Netanyahu added.
Bolsonaro will take office on Jan. 1, 2019.
