Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz has demanded an apology from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after he compared Israel’s military operation in Gaza to Adolf Hitler’s campaign to exterminate Jews. Katz conveyed this message to Brazil’s Ambassador Federico Mayer, stating that Lula would not be welcome in Israel until he retracted his “anti-Semitic words of incitement” against the Jewish people.
Lula made these controversial remarks while attending an African Union summit in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, on Sunday. He referred to the situation in Gaza as a “genocide” and claimed that it involved a well-prepared army attacking innocent civilians, including women and children. He further stated that what was happening in Gaza had only occurred once before in history, during Hitler’s persecution of Jews.
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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Lula’s comments as “shameful and grave,” and his government called in Brazil’s ambassador in protest. However, Lula refused to retract his statements, and Brazil reportedly declined to distance itself from the President’s remarks.
This incident has further strained relations between Israel and Brazil, with Israel warning that Lula would remain an “unwelcome personality” in Israel until he apologized for his remarks. Meanwhile, Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group controlling Gaza, praised Lula’s comments, describing them as an “accurate description” of the situation in the region.
The Gaza conflict began on October 7th, 2022, after Hamas launched surprise attacks on Israel. While around 1,200 people have died in Israel, the ongoing war in Gaza has claimed the lives of over 29,000 and injured around 69,000.
