Taking cue from Trump, Brazil's Bolsonaro to move Israel embassy

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil's far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has confirmed the country will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, making the Latin American country the largest after the United States to make the controversial switch.

The move from Tel Aviv, which will defy Palestinians and most of the world, is the latest controversial announcement by the former army captain, who has wasted no time implementing his hardline conservative agenda since his election win Sunday.

"As previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that," Bolsonaro tweeted Thursday.

He also made waves on the domestic front, naming the judge who has upended Brazilian politics with a massive corruption investigation, Sergio Moro, to be his justice minister.

Moro is a hero to many Brazilians for his unrelenting "Car Wash" investigation, which uncovered the large-scale looting of state oil company Petrobras. But for opponents, the move fuelled accusations that the judge was politically motivated -- especially against leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whom polls showed would have beaten Bolsonaro in the election had he not been jailed 12 years for corruption.