In a diplomatic uproar that intensified strained relations between Israel and Brazil, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sparked controversy by equating the conflict in Gaza with the horrors of the Holocaust. Lula’s remarks, made during the African Union summit in Ethiopia, drew swift condemnation from Israeli officials who accused him of antisemitism and minimizing the gravity of the Nazi genocide.
Lula’s comparison struck a sensitive chord in Israel, a nation founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust as a refuge for Jews. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decried Lula’s comments as crossing a “red line” and accused him of being virulently anti-Semitic, while Foreign Minister Israel Katz summoned Brazil’s ambassador for a formal rebuke.
The backdrop of Lula’s statements was the ongoing conflict in Gaza, triggered by militant attacks on southern Israel in October. The war, marked by heavy casualties and widespread displacement, has drawn international criticism and calls for a cease-fire. Lula, known for his alignment with the Global South and past condemnations of Israeli actions, went further than before in likening Israel’s conduct to genocide, a move that inflamed tensions between the two nations.
Despite Lula’s earlier expressions of concern and calls for peace during meetings with Palestinian representatives, his direct comparison of Israeli actions to the Holocaust represented a significant escalation in rhetoric.
#brazil #netanyahu #lula #benjaminnetanyahu #israel #israelhamaswar #israelpalestineconflict #worldnews
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