Full Breakdown
Right-Wing Surge in Latin America Fuels New Diplomatic and Defense Ties with Israel
By Drooid · · How we work
Electoral Shifts and Pro-Jerusalem Promises
Brazil’s presidential race is moving to a run-off on October 25 after candidate Flavio Bolsonaro defeated incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the first round. In a January interview, Flavio Bolsonaro said he would relocate Brazil’s embassy to Jerusalem within six months of taking office. In Argentina, President Javier Milei received the Genesis Prize in Jerusalem on June 12 2025, underscoring his government’s alignment with Israel. Both leaders have framed their foreign-policy moves as part of a broader “rightward shift” across the region.
The Isaac Accords and Expanding Partnerships
The Isaac Accords, launched by Milei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, create a strategic framework for cooperation among Israel, Argentina, and “like-minded partners” in the Western Hemisphere. The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s statement describes the accords as a defense against terrorism, antisemitism, and drug trafficking. The initiative has attracted interest from Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Honduras, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and Panama, according to the article.
Defense Cooperation Gains Momentum
Israel’s defense sales to Latin America represented 2 % of its global defense exports in 2025, a modest share noted in the source. Brazil, the region’s largest defense spender, ranks 21st worldwide, allocating roughly 1 % of its GDP to defense—lower than Spain, Australia, Japan, Turkey and Italy. Other notable spenders include Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Argentina, with Colombia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Honduras and Chile devoting 1.3 %–3.3 % of GDP to defense. In August, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz signed a memorandum of understanding with Honduras’s Defense Minister Enrique Rodríguez Burchard to deepen defense cooperation, a move the Israeli Defense Ministry presented as part of a strategy to broaden its circle of defense partners.
Outlook and Regional Impact
The article suggests that while diplomatic gestures—such as embassy relocations and the Isaac Accords—signal a tightening Israel-Latin America alliance, the practical impact on defense sales may remain limited given the region’s modest procurement budgets. The broader political landscape remains mixed: most countries are democratic, but Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba retain authoritarian regimes. Analysts note that the left could regain power in some nations over the next decade, potentially moderating the current trajectory.