At the grand opening of Brazil’s trade mission in Jerusalem, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s son reiterated his father’s commitment to move the nation’s embassy to Israel’s capital.
By United with Israel Staff
On Sunday, Brazil officially opened a trade mission in Jerusalem, which was presented as a significant step toward a full-scale move for the Latin American nation’s embassy in Israel.
While the mission does not currently have diplomatic status, as opposed to the Jerusalem trade offices of Hungary and Honduras, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who is a senior parliamentarian and the president’s son, made comments during the opening on Sunday signaling that Brazil has made a “commitment” to move its embassy to Israel’s capital.
The opening of the office was first announced in March 2019, during a visit to Israel by Bolsonaro.
Speaking in Jerusalem on Sunday, Eduardo Bolsonaro stated, “I was with [the president] before I came here. He told me that for sure, [the embassy move is a] commitment. He’s going to move the embassy to Jerusalem. He’s going to do that.”
“We want to [complete the move] to Jerusalem, not only for Brazil, but to be an example to the rest of Latin America,” Bolsonaro added, “We’re doing a normal thing — to recognize your capital.”
Bolsonaro also quoted the biblical precept that those who bless the nation of Israel will be blessed.
According to the Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Exports and Investments (Apex-Brasil), a body linked to the Ministry of Foreign Relations that manages the trade mission, the office will handle trade, investment, technology and innovation.
The office, located in Jerusalem’s Har Hotzvim hi-tech park, is headed by Camila Torres Meyer, an international trade analyst, who has worked for Apex for 12 years. The other two employees will be Israelis.
The office focuses on partnerships involving technology in agriculture and water, as well as cyber-security for data protection and military enforcement, according to a Poder360 news report.
Thus far, the US and Guatemala have located their embassies in Israel’s capital city. Honduras is expected to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem in the near future.