Brazil FM says Israeli counterpart 'lying' in Gaza
2 Min Read
Brazil's Foreign Minister accuses his Israeli counterpart as tensions rise over the Brazilian President's stance against "Israel's" genocide in Gaza.
-
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira arrives to meet French Foreign and European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna before their talks in Paris, on June 6, 2023. (AP)
On Tuesday, Brazil's foreign minister leveled accusations of dishonesty against the Israeli Foreign Minister as tensions flared in a dispute over President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's likening of the Israeli military aggression in Gaza to the Holocaust.
Mauro Vieira, whose nation is hosting a G20 foreign ministers meeting this week, denounced statements made by Israel Katz as "unacceptable in their nature, deceptive in their content," and "outrageous."
'Israel' responded with anger after Lula stated that the war in the Gaza Strip "isn't a war, it's a genocide," and drew comparisons to "when Hitler decided to kill the Jews."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Lula had "crossed a red line," while Katz announced that the Brazilian leader is considered "persona non grata in the state of Israel until he retracts his remarks and issues an apology."
Katz summoned Brazil's ambassador, Frederico Meyer, for a meeting on Monday at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Center in Jerusalem.
In a retaliatory move, the Brazilian foreign ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Zonshinem, and recalled Frederico Meyer from 'Tel Aviv' for consultations.
Earlier this week, during an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, the Brazilian president said, "What's happening in the Gaza Strip isn't a war, it's a genocide," detailing that Israeli troops were not fighting "soldiers against soldiers," but rather a highly prepared army against "women and children."
He expressed that what is going on in Palestine has happened in the past when Hitler "decided to kill the Jews."
