The Israeli response to recent comments made by Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva regarding the Gaza Strip is "unacceptable" and "untruthful," Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said on 20 February.
The comments made by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz about Lula are "unacceptable in their nature and lying in their content," Vieira said on Tuesday. He added that Katz's comments were "outrageous."
"For a foreign ministry to address a head of state from a friendly country in this way is unusual and revolting. It is a shameful page in the history of Israel's diplomacy," the Brazilian diplomat went on to say, adding that Israel is trying to cover up its crimes in Gaza with a smokescreen.
Katz accused Lula on 19 February of making a "serious antisemitic attack." The Israeli foreign minister said Israel will not "forgive or forget" what the Brazilian president said, adding that he is "persona non grata in Israel until he takes it back."
On 18 February, the Brazilian head of state compared Israel's genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to the Nazi Holocaust.
"What's happening in the Gaza Strip isn't a war; it's a genocide. It's not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It's a war between a highly prepared army and women and children. What's happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people hasn't happened at any other moment in history. Actually, it has happened: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews," Lula said.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Brazilian ambassador to Israel, Federico Meyer, on 19 February. In response, Brazil's Foreign Ministry summoned Israel's ambassador to the Latin American country, Daniel Zonshinem, and recalled Meyer from Tel Aviv for consultations.
The Brazilian president's comments have infuriated Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Lula had "crossed a red line" by comparing Israel to the Nazis, calling his criticism "a trivialization of the Holocaust and an attempt to attack the Jewish people and the right of Israel to self-defense."
Brazil has been vocal about Israel's assault on Gaza and has criticized Tel Aviv repeatedly since the start of the war. This was not Lula's first statement referring to Israeli actions in Gaza as genocidal.
What is happening in Gaza "is not a war. It is a genocide that led to the killing of [thousands of] children who had nothing to do with this war. They are the victims of this war," Lula said in October.
Several other Latin American leaders have expressed their repudiation of Israel's actions, including Chilean, Cuban, Colombian, and Bolivian leadership.
The Presidents of Bolivia and Colombia openly backed Lula and his criticism of Israel following Tel Aviv's accusation of antisemitism.
"Lula has only spoken the truth, and truth must be defended, or barbarism will annihilate us," Colombian President Gustavo Petro said.
Bolivian President Luis Arce praised Lula for "telling the truth about the genocide … against the brave Palestinian people."
The diplomatic spat between Brazil and Israel comes as Israeli troops prepare to launch an attack on Rafah, Gaza's densely populated, southernmost city.
Over a million Palestinians – many of whom have been displaced from other parts of Gaza – are stranded in Rafah. The planned assault on the city poses the threat of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
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