Skip to main content

Brazilian Embassy in Israel closed temporarily, will reopen in July | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall   Paste BN
play
Show Caption

The claim: Post implies Brazil permanently closed its embassy in Israel

A May 30 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a picture of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

"BREAKING: BRAZIL has CLOSED its embassy in ISRAEL," reads text within the post.

Some commenters appeared to believe this meant the embassy was permanently closed.

"BRAVO BRASIL," wrote one.

Another user wrote, "Very good. Hard beat into Israel face (sic)."

Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter.

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Our rating: Missing context

The implied claim is wrong. Though the embassy's in-person services have been suspended temporarily due to an address change, a spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the embassy hasn't closed permanently.

Brazilian Embassy still operating in Israel

Brazil withdrew its ambassador to Israel on May 29 after he was publicly reprimanded by Israel's foreign minister at the National Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. The public scolding followed remarks made by Lula in February, in which he compared the war in Gaza to the Holocaust.

The ambassador's absence hasn't triggered a permanent closure of the embassy, however.

Alex Gandler, a spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Paste BN in an email that the Embassy of Brazil is not closed.

Neither Israel nor Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced a permanent closure, and the building's hours are still listed on the Brazilian Embassy's Facebook page.

Fact check: US Embassy in Beirut says it's still open and operating

Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a suspension of in-person consular services on May 9 but specified that the closure would be temporary. The suspension, caused by an address change, will only last between May 25 and June 30, according to the ministry's statement. There's no evidence that the embassy's online services will be affected.

Paste BN reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

Paste BN is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.

Facebook Twitter Email