Palestine wins with Lula's election victory in Brazil

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Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has won election to be President of Brazil.
World reacts as Lula wins Brazil presidential election
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/31/world-reacts-as-lula-wins-brazil-presidential-election

If Lula wins, Palestine will too

Lula received the majority of votes cast at the polling station inside the Brazilian Consulate in Ramallah by Brazilian citizens living and working in the occupied West Bank, only 52 votes went to Bolsonaro. According to Palestinians, a victory for Lula will make a significant difference to the position of the Palestinian cause in Brazil and international forums, as the Palestinian people will have a supportive Brazilian friend at the UN once again.

Lula had taken many measures in favour of Palestine, including raising diplomatic representation between the two countries and allocating a plot of land near the Brazilian presidential palace for the Palestinian embassy.

During a visit to the West Bank in 2010, Lula talked of his dream to see "an independent and free Palestine". Later that year, he recognised Palestine as an independent state within its 1967 borders, with Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador doing so almost immediately afterwards. The majority of South American states followed suit within the first three months of 2011. Under the leadership of the leftist Workers' Party from 2003 to 2016, Brazil gave unlimited support for justice in Palestine.

Earlier this year, Lula called for supporting the Palestinians' right to establish a state. He reiterated his view that the UN should be restructured so progress can be made regarding major issues such as "the creation of a Palestinian state".

In June, he welcomed the Palestinian community and stressing on the important relations between Brazil and Palestine and the relations that Brazil built with the Arab world and its governments. "Palestinians deserve our full attention and solidarity," Lula said, wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh. He stressed that the Palestinian people have the right to live in a "free and sovereign state", adding that he will work to reestablish the leading role of Brazilian foreign policy in the mediation of conflicts and of peoples' right to defend themselves.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221028-a-victory-of-lula-in-brazil-is-a-victory-for-palestine/     

https://twitter.com/LulaOficial/status/1582831495605288960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1582831495605288960%7Ctwgr%5E26e6c9663db5dd5cd2e3e284b736076ff2794351%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.middleeastmonitor.com%2F20221028-a-victory-of-lula-in-brazil-is-a-victory-for-palestine%2F




Lula da Silva defeats Bolsonaro, earning cheers and boos from divided Brazilian Jewish community
https://www.jta.org/2022/10/31/global/lula-da-silva-defeats-bolsonaro-earning-cheers-and-boos-from-divided-brazilian-jewish-community

As the left-wing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva completed a triumphant return to politics by beating incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a tight election on Sunday, Brazilian Jewish groups welcomed him with a conciliatory message they hope will cool down the polarization within their deeply split 120,000-strong community.

"President Lula, we wish you every success in your four-year term. At the same time, we reiterate our permanent readiness for constructive and democratic dialogue," read a note signed by Claudio Lottenberg, president of the Brazilian Israelite Confederation, the country's umbrella Jewish organization.

Da Silva, a former union leader who was president of Brazil between 2003 and 2010, garnered 50.90% of all valid votes in the tight Sunday runoff. President Bolsonaro, a fervently Christian right-wing nationalist, received 49.10%.

Lottenberg's statement points to the fact that Jewish groups had a very rocky relationship with da Silva, nicknamed Lula, during his tenure.

In 2009, da Silva warmly welcomed former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a notorious Holocaust denier whose regime persecuted minorities and critics, for a visit that drew international criticism.

One year later, da Silva became Brazil's first head of state to visit Israel since Brazilian Emperor Pedro II toured the Holy Land in 1876. However, he refused to visit Theodor Herzl's grave on part of the itinerary for visiting foreign officials in honor of the 150th anniversary of the father of Zionism. Days after, he laid a wreath at Yasser Arafat's grave in Ramallah. In the final month of his administration, his government officially recognized a Palestinian state.

"Long live the Brazilian people, who chose the path of freedom and democracy instead of hatred, intolerance, fascism. A heartfelt thank you from this Brazilian-Palestinian diaspora," read a note by the Brazilian Palestinian federation welcoming da Silva's victory. Brazil is home to a diaspora of around 60,000 Palestinians.

The PalestinaHoy website went further, posting a picture of Bolsonaro holding an Israeli flag with the words "Zionism was defeated in Brazil."

While in power, Da Silva enacted ambitious social programs and prioritized foreign policy but his tenure was plagued by scandal. In 2017, he was convicted of corruption and money laundering — which he denied — and was sent to jail, where served 580 days. His political ally and presidential successor Dilma Rousseff was eventually removed from office for manipulating the budget.

Bolsonaro, known for his highly controversial rhetoric — which has been widely labeled at different times as racist, misogynist, homophobic and fascist — developed a historic closeness with Israel and its former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Both Brazilian and Israeli media highlighted the fact that Bolsonaro's wife Michelle wore a T-shirt with an Israeli flag at a polling station on Sunday. The Brazil-Israel Institute, a non-affiliated far-left Jewish group, accused the first lady of appropriating Jewish symbols.

"I don't believe that the polarization will end in the short term, but many voices and relevant actors are working effectively to at least mitigate it," Lottenberg told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "We'll continue to promote civilized and constructive debate between the different currents of Brazilian Jewry, based on the defense of democracy, tolerance, and Jewish values."