Brazilian President Bolsonaro receives Friends of Zion Award
Bolsonaro has confirmed his commitment to strengthening relations between Brazil and Israel, subsequently announcing that his country will be opening an Economic Mission in Jerusalem.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFBRAZILIAN PRESIDENT Jair Bolsonaro receives the Friends of Zion Award in Jerusalem(photo credit: PETER HALMAGYI)
The Friends of Zion Museum bestowed its “Friends of Zion Award” on President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil on Monday in recognition of his steadfast support for the State of Israel. The museum presents the award to world leaders who have gone “above and beyond” for the Jewish state.In December 2017, US President Donald Trump received the award from the founder of FOZ, Dr. Mike Evans, who serves on the Trump Faith Initiative.Upon his arrival, Bolsonaro met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the museum, Netanyahu said: “I don’t believe the Jewish state and modern Zionism would be possible without Christian Zionism.” Bolsonaro has said that his government is “determined to strengthen the partnership between Israel and Brazil.”In the past few months, Bolsonaro has confirmed his commitment to strengthening relations between Brazil and Israel, subsequently announcing that his country will be opening an Economic Mission in Jerusalem.Brazil also played a role in the establishment of the State of Israel. In 1947, Brazil voted in favor of the UN partition plan, supporting the creation of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel. Then-ambassador Osvaldo Aranha, head of the Brazilian delegation at the time, was a key supporter of the plan.The map of the UN vote is displayed in the FOZ Museum, which hosts tens of thousands of Brazilians annually. The museum recently surpassed 58 million followers, making it one of the largest pro-Israel social media groups in the world. According to Evans, “among the 58 million social media friends we have, millions of its supporters come from Brazil, which is the fifth largest nation in the world.”Previous recipients of the Friends of Zion Award have been former US president George W. Bush, Crown Prince Albert II of Monaco, former president Rosen Plevneliev of Bulgaria and President Jimmy Morales of Guatemala.The museum serves as a portal to fight global antisemitism and to stand strong against the BDS movement.Shimon Peres, the late president, served as FOZ’s international chairman. The board currently includes Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Peled, who is head of the FOZ Israeli Board of Trustees.
