Lula's Brazil Takes Sharp Anti-Israel Turn in Foreign Policy

As the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas continues to escalate, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has taken a decisive and controversial step: abandoning the country’s longstanding tradition of neutrality to openly oppose the State of Israel on the global stage.

The latest move was Brazil’s formal participation in the case brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), supporting South Africa’s allegations of genocide. This marks a significant shift in Brazil’s foreign policy, traditionally characterized by “balance and moderation,” especially in conflicts involving the Middle East.

Although Lula has personally expressed criticism of Israel in the past, it was only after the Hamas-led terror attack on October 7, 2023, widely regarded as one of the worst in Israel’s history, that his administration began taking concrete steps. Since then, the president has consistently portrayed Israel as an aggressor and Hamas as a force retaliating against decades of oppression.

In a recent official statement, Lula justified Brazil’s involvement in the ICJ case with a stark critique of Israel’s conduct in Gaza:

“The international community continues to witness, routinely, grave violations of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law: attacks on civilian infrastructure, including religious sites such as the Catholic parish in Gaza, and UN facilities such as those of the World Health Organization; indiscriminate violence and vandalism by extremist settlers in the West Bank, like the burning of the ruins of the ancient Church of St. George and the Byzantine cemetery in Taybeh; massacres of civilians, mostly women and children, that have become routine during humanitarian aid deliveries in Gaza; and the shameless use of hunger as a weapon of war,” the government statement read.

Critics argue that Lula’s stance undermines Brazil’s international image as a reliable and impartial actor. Analysts suggest that Lula’s alignment is not merely ideological but strategic, aimed at distinguishing his leadership from that of his right-wing predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, a staunch supporter of Israel. Lula has also positioned Brazil within a bloc of emerging powers aligned with China, Russia, and Iran, countries critical of U.S. and Israeli foreign policy. Brazil currently holds the presidency of the BRICS bloc, now expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

In June 2025, following a military exchange between Israel and Iran, Brazil condemned Israel’s actions as a “violation of Iran’s sovereignty and international law” while omitting any mention of Iran’s nuclear threat or its targeting of Israeli civilians. The position was widely interpreted as a calculated effort to avoid displeasing Tehran.

Brazilian President Lula (Photo: shutterstock/Wagner Vilas)

In another symbolic gesture, Lula recently withdrew Brazil from the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), where it had held observer status since 2021. The move, confirmed by both Israel’s foreign ministry and Brazil’s Itamaraty, drew criticism from Jewish organizations around the world.

Throughout the ongoing conflict in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack, Lula has increasingly characterized Israel’s military response as genocidal, repeatedly drawing outrage for what many perceive as extreme rhetoric. Below are some of his most controversial public statements:

July 2025 – BRICS Summit

“We cannot remain indifferent to the genocide being carried out by Israel in Gaza, the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, and the use of hunger as a weapon of war. This conflict will only end with the conclusion of the Israeli occupation and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.”

June 2025 – Interview at Palácio do Planalto

“[Israel] keeps accusing everyone of antisemitism. It needs to stop playing the victim. What’s happening in Gaza is a ge-no-cí-de,” he said, emphasizing each syllable. “It’s a decision by a government that even the Jewish people don’t support. This cannot be accepted as if it were a normal war. It’s not.”

June 2025 – PSB Party Convention

Speaking to chants of “Free Palestine,” Lula declared:

“This war is a government’s revenge against the possibility of a Palestinian state. Behind the massacre under the pretext of fighting Hamas is a plan to take control of Gaza. We’re not seeing a war between two equally armed armies, but a professional military killing defenseless women and children in Gaza. This is not a war. It is genocide in violation of every UN resolution.”

Lula vs Bolsonaro (Photo: shutterstock/casa.da.photo)

February 2024 – Holocaust Comparison

“What’s happening to the Palestinian people in Gaza is unlike anything in modern history. Actually, it did happen: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews. I wonder about the conscience of those who can’t see that this is not a war but genocide between a highly trained army and unarmed women and children.”

The comment prompted an immediate diplomatic crisis. On February 19, Israel declared Lula persona non grata, banning him from entering the country.

October 2023 – On Hamas and Israeli Response

“Just because Hamas committed a terrorist act against Israel doesn’t mean Israel has the right to kill millions of innocents. How can people lack the sensitivity to see that?”

November 2023

“This war stems from decades of frustration and injustice, the absence of a safe homeland for the Palestinian people,” Lula said after welcoming evacuees from Gaza to Brazil. “We must ensure the creation of a Palestinian state.”

According to Professor Elton Gomes, a political science expert at the Federal University of Piauí, Brazil’s shift comes at the cost of its traditional diplomatic asset: soft power.

“Brazil used to be seen as a credible neutral party in peace negotiations. This overt alignment risks eroding that reputation on the world stage,” he said.

As Lula continues to double down on his position, observers warn that Brazil may increasingly find itself isolated from Western allies, just as it seeks to assert new leadership among emerging global powers.