Lula told the press on Sunday that “what is happening in the Gaza Strip is not a war, it is a genocide,” and compared the actions of Israel to that of Hitler against the jews.
The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was declared “persona non grata” by Israel today, after he made a statement yesterday that likened the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip to a genocide similar to the Holocaust.
The Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, said that he summoned the Brazilian ambassador to Israel at the Holocaust Museum, where the atrocities committed by the Nazis and Hitler against the Jews are documented, including some of his own relatives.
Lula made his statement at the 37th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), where he expressed his criticism of the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza since October 7, 2023, following the violent attacks of the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israeli territory, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths and around 250 abductions.
Lula told the press on Sunday that “what is happening in the Gaza Strip is not a war, it is a genocide,” and added that it was comparable to “a war between a very prepared army and women and children” that had no precedent in history, except “when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
The Israeli Foreign Minister condemned Lula’s remarks as “shameful and severe” on social network X, and emphasized that “Israel’s right to defend itself will not be compromised.”
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, also issued a statement in which he called Lula’s words “shameful and serious” and claimed that they aimed to “downplay the Holocaust” and “Israel’s right to defend itself.”
He said that “comparing Israel to the Nazi Holocaust and Hitler is a red line. Israel fights for its defense and its future until it achieves a complete victory and does so while respecting international law.”
Lula’s statement was the strongest one he has made so far on the conflict, as a prominent leader of the global south and the current president of the G20.
Two of the largest Israeli organizations in Brazil also joined the criticism of the Israeli Government against Lula’s statement, in which he accused Israel of imitating Adolf Hitler and committing “genocide” in Gaza.
The Israeli Confederation of Brazil (CONIB) said in a note that “the Brazilian Government is taking an extreme and biased position on the tragic conflict in the Middle East, and leaving behind the tradition of balance and dialogue in Brazilian foreign policy.”
It also said that it distorted reality and “insulted the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and their descendants.”
On Sunday, in the Ethiopian capital, he said at a press conference that “what is happening in the Gaza Strip is not a war, it is a genocide,” and stated that it was similar to “a war between a very prepared army and women and children” that had never happened before, except “when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
The Israelite Federation of the State of São Paulo, which represents most of the Jewish community in Brazil, also expressed its protest in a note.
It said that “comparing the legitimate defense of the State of Israel against a terrorist group that does not hesitate to kill Israelis and Jews with Hitler’s killing machine is infinitely wicked.”
