Brazil won't retract Lula's Holocaust remarks: Sources to Reuters
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The sources say the directive from Lula is clear: there will be no retraction, and any responses will be conveyed through diplomatic channels.
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Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends the swearing-in ceremony of the new Attorney General Paulo Gustavo Gonet Branco in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Brazil has no plans to retract President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's statement drawing parallels between Israeli atrocities in Gaza to Hitler's actions in Nazi Germany, Reuters reported on Monday citing sources with knowledge of internal discussions.
According to the sources, the directive from Lula is clear: there will be no retraction, and any responses will be conveyed through diplomatic channels.
Brazil recalled its ambassador to the Israeli occupation entity on Monday and summoned the Israeli ambassador to the country, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry announced.
The decision came shortly after the Israeli Foreign Minister announced that the Brazilian President was "persona non grata" over his statement about the Israeli war on Gaza.
Lula said on Sunday that "Israel" is committing "genocide" against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, likening its crimes to "Adolf Hitler's in Nazi Germany." This was not Lula's first time to draw such comparisons, nor was he the first world leader to do so.
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 was going on in Palestine had happened in the past when Hitler "decided to kill the Jews."
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told the Brazilian ambassador that Lula's comments were "antisemitic" and would not be forgiven or forgotten.
Lula has been repeatedly critical of the Israeli onslaught on Palestine.
At a summit at the Arab League in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday, he criticized the United Nations for its failure to address international conflicts and harshly condemned "Israel's" actions in Gaza.
"Israel's behavior has no explanation: with the pretext of fighting Hamas, it is killing women and children," he said after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
In November, Lula called "Israel's attitude toward children, toward women, "equal to terrorism," stressing that "there's no other way to put it."
Netanyahu calls Lula's comments 'Holocaust trivialization'
Responding to Lula's comments, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to them as "Holocaust trivialization" that aims to strip the Jewish people of the right to "self-defense".
He stated that comparing the occupation to Nazis and Hitler was "crossing a red line."
Netanyahu also dared to claim that "Israel's" attempt to "defend itself" was being done by "upholding international law."
He stated that he decided to summon the Brazilian ambassador to "Israel" for an "immediate reproach".
Read more: Rachida Tlaib urges Democrats to protest Biden over Gaza
