Binyamin Netanyahu
Binyamin NetanyahuAlex Kolomoisky/POOL

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has landed in Rio De Janeiro and will meet with the president-elect of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, later in the day.

A senior official in the Prime Minister Office told reporters on board the flight to Brazil that Netanyahu had not been sure about whether he should fly abroad during an election campaign.

The official said that Netanyahu gave instructions regarding the campaign before he left the country.

Netanyahu may cut his five-day visit to Brazil short over the political developments in Israel. Both Israeli and Brazilian media reported on the possibility of a shortened trip on Tuesday evening, more than a day after the ruling coalition agreed to dissolve the government and go to early elections.

Netanyahu’s visit centers on the inauguration of Jair Bolsonaro as Brazil’s new president on Jan. 1 in the country’s capital city, Brasilia.

The historic visit – the first of a sitting Israeli prime minister to Brazil – is considered strategic because both leaders will discuss face to face the details of the transfer of the Brazilian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, one of Bolsonaro’s key promises during his campaign.

Netanyahu will be the first and only foreign leader to meet with Bolsonaro before he is sworn in next week.