Lula unwelcome in 'Israel' until he retracts Holocaust remarks: FM
3 Min Read
The Brazilian President has likened "Israel's" crimes to Adolf Hitler's in Nazi Germany.
-
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a ministerial meeting to review the first 100 days of his government at Palanalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on April 10, 2023. (AP)
The Israeli Foreign Minister proclaimed Monday that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is not welcome in "Israel" unless he retracts the statements he made comparing the Israeli onslaught in Gaza to the Holocaust.
On his part, the Brazilian President recalled his ambassador to "Israel" for consultations, according to a column in the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo on Monday.
This comes as the Brazilian ambassador had previously been summoned by "Israel's" Foreign Minister for a reprimand following Lula's comments.
President Lula accused "Israel" on Sunday of 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."
Read more: Gantz threatens Rafah invasion by Ramadan
He expressed that what was going on in Palestine had happened in the past when Hitler "decided to kill the Jews."
Unsurprisingly, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told the Brazilian ambassador that Lula's comments were "antisemitic" and would not be forgiven or forgotten.
A statement by Katz's office stated that Katz made it clear that Lula is officially "persona non grata" in the occupation until he takes back what he said.
Netanyahu calls Lula's comments 'Holocaust trivialization'
Responding to Lula's comments, Israeli 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".
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.
There can be no peace without the establishment of a Palestinian State, Lula said, as he urged for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
In November, Lula called "Israel's attitude toward children, toward women, "equal to terrorism," stressing that "there's no other way to put it."
