Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro had told him it was a matter of "when, not if" he moves the Brazilian Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
"Bolsonaro told me it was 'when, not if' he moves the embassy to Jerusalem," Netanyahu said on Sunday during a meeting with leaders of Brazil's Jewish community in Rio de Janeiro.
"There is a special warmth that the Jewish community of Brazil feels for Israel. They are proud of Brazil and they love Brazil. They're proud of Israel and they love Israel. And they are a wonderful bridge between our two countries. We feel that there is a tremendous empathy. I view Israel as the home of all Jews. All Jews should feel welcome in Israel. All of you are welcome in Israel. And I have to tell you that we have made a pledge for centuries, 'Next year in Jerusalem.' I'd like to see all of you."
Netanyahu said he hoped Brazil's Jewish community would "spearhead this revolution in our relationship between Brazil in Israel. There's no question, it's going to be a fantastic brotherhood, a fantastic relationship. And you have a special role, as our ambassadors, as the ambassadors of this friendship between us.
"We attach enormous importance to Brazil, and Brazil in the context of Latin America. Israel is coming to Latin America. Latin America is coming to Israel. This heralds a historic change."
Netanyahu said several Israeli delegations would be arriving in Brazil in the coming months to map out the full extent of bilateral cooperation.
"This is a partnership that has been meaning to happen, meant to happen, and we're going to make it happen very fast," he said.
Israeli Ambassador to Brazil Yossi Sheli said, "This is the first prime minister of Israel to visit Brazil, and thanks to the content of the visit, Israel and Brazil are closer than ever. We are working on projects in water, energy, agriculture and public security that will improve the lives of many Brazilians and Israelis."
In a meeting with evangelical Christians later that day, Netanyahu was presented with a framed copy of a commemorative stamp issued by the post office in Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, in honor of 70 years of Israel's independence. The stamp had been prepared by the Christian Friends of Israel's Manaus branch.
"You are part of our family, our brothers and sisters," Netanyahu told those in attendance.
"Our histories are intertwined, our faith is intertwined, our values are intertwined. And so every time that we dig with a shovel in our land, we find ancient synagogues or ancient churches. And sometimes we don't even have to dig.
"So I want to invite all of you next year in Jerusalem. I want to invite all of you to come to Israel, next year, it's only two days away. We shall welcome you with all the love and warmth that we reserve for family. You are part of our family and we are part of yours.
"I look forward to seeing you in Jerusalem, my brothers and my sisters."
Bolsonaro, who takes office on Tuesday and is hosting Netanyahu and the leaders of other countries for his inauguration, has said he would like to follow the lead of U.S. President Donald Trump and move the embassy.
But he has come under intense pressure from Brazil's powerful agriculture sector not to do so, as it could hurt Brazilian exports to Arab nations. Despite Netanyahu's comments, a senior official from Brazil's incoming government on Sunday said no decision had yet been made on the issue.
Such a move by Bolsonaro would be a sharp shift in Brazilian foreign policy, which has traditionally backed a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Arab League had told Bolsonaro that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would be a setback for relations with Arab countries.
Netanyahu, who met with Bolsonaro on Friday, said the Brazilian leader had accepted his invitation to visit Israel, a trip that is likely to take place in March.
Netanyahu is the first Israeli prime minister to visit Brazil.
After he met the Israeli leader, Bolsonaro said, "We need good allies, good friends, good brothers like Benjamin Netanyahu."
Deputy Director General of the Foreign Ministry's Department for Central America and the Caribbean Modi Ephraim, who is accompanying Netanyahu on his trip, told Israel Hayom said the change in Brazil-Israel ties was "a dramatic revolution." He said Netanyahu and Bolsonaro had "agreed upon the creation of a brotherly alliance and cooperation in all fields."
With tensions running high in Brazil and threats of an assassination attempt against Bolsonaro, his inauguration Tuesday in the capital, Brasilia, was set to be held under heavy security.
According to local police, a record-breaking 300,000 people are expected to come out for the event, which is expected to last around four hours and include the presidential motorcade making its way through the streets of the capital.
Bolsonaro has been targeted for his pro-Israel policy on social media, with some of his detractors slamming him as a "Nazi."
