On Tuesday he will visit the Israeli-occupied West Bank to meet Palestinian leaders, before travelling to Jordan on Wednesday.
Lula's visit, the first to the region by a Brazilian head of state, comes days after Israel's controversial decision on new settlements in east Jerusalem and as the new Security Council non-permanent member seeks a voice in efforts to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
Israel announced approval for the construction of 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers in Arab east Jerusalem, threatening US hopes of reviving stalled peace talks and sparking continuing fury in Washington with its key Middle East ally.
Before leaving Brazil, he said in an interview the Middle East peace effort needs "someone with neutrality to speak the truth to the Israelis, to tell the truth to Palestinians, Iranians, Syrians, and whoever wants to hear the truth."
While in the region Lula is also expected to reiterate Brasilia's stance on Iran's controversial nuclear programme, which major Western powers fear may be a cover for a covert atomic arms project, despite Tehran's strenuous denials.
Lula has made it clear he considers Iranian participation a key to peace efforts in the Middle East. He visited Tehran in May last year and in turn welcomed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Brazil in November.
Earlier this month, Lula told US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton it is "not prudent to push Iran into a corner. It is prudent to make it so that Iran continues to negotiate."
Israel, widely believed to be the sole if undeclared nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, sees Iran as a threat to its existence. Neither Israel nor the United States has ruled out military action against Iranian nuclear sites.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------