Brazil-Israel row escalates as Lula declared ‘persona non grata’ after Holocaust remarks
- Brazil’s president not welcome in Israel until he apologises for Holocaust remarks
- South American leader compared Israel’s war on Gaza to Hitler’s treatment of Jews
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s comparison of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to the Holocaust has unleashed a diplomatic firestorm, with Brazil recalling its ambassador Monday and Israel declaring Lula “persona non grata”.
The row erupted the day before when Lula said the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip “isn’t a war, it’s a genocide,” and compared it to “when Hitler decided to kill the Jews”.
Katz summoned Brazil’s ambassador Frederico Meyer for a meeting Monday at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre in Jerusalem.
In a tit-for-tat move, the Brazilian foreign ministry then said it had also summoned the Israeli ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Zonshine, for a meeting later that same day, and recalled Meyer from Tel Aviv for consultations.