Lula's comments represent anti-Semitism and are "an outrageous combination of hatred and ignorance".
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused the Israeli army of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip and compared Israel's actions to the actions of Adolf Hitler during the Holocaust. The Israeli Foreign Ministry declared the Brazilian president persona non grille.
This was reported by the Times of Israel and Israel Hayom.
Lula's scandalous statement
“What is happening in the Gaza Strip is not war, it is genocide,” Lula told reporters in Addis Ababa, where he was attending an African Union summit. – This is not a war of soldiers against soldiers. This is a war between a well-prepared army and women and children.”
Lula went on to claim that “what happened in Gaza to the Palestinian people did not happen at any other point in history,” except for one thing: “When Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
Israel is battling a heavily armed terrorist group in the enclave in response to the deadliest attack on its population in history. Israel says the civilian casualties are the result of militants operating under the guise of innocent people. He stressed that he is making efforts to minimize civilian deaths in Gaza, including through evacuation from the combat zone.
According to unverified Hamas data, about 28,000 Gazans have died in the war, just over 1% of the total population. Israel claims that at least 10,000 of them were terrorists. He also stated that the war would end if Hamas released the hostages and surrendered.
During the Holocaust, the Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, systematically persecuted the Jewish population of Europe based on racist ideology, depriving them of all rights, driving them into ghettos and camps and exterminating them, killing about two-thirds of the continent's Jews .
Israeli reaction
Israel reacted with outrage to Lula's comments, calling them “disgraceful” and saying the country's ambassador would be summoned for a “severe reprimand.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Brazilian leader had “crossed the red line.”
“The words of the President of Brazil are shameful and disturbing,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “This is a trivialization of the Holocaust and an attempt to harm the Jewish people and Israel’s right to self-defense.”
“Israel is fighting to defend itself and secure its future until total victory, and it does so while respecting international law,” he continued.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called the comments “shameful and serious”: “No one will harm Israel's right to self-defense.”
Dani Dayan, head of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center, said the comments amounted to anti-Semitism and were “an outrageous combination of hatred and ignorance.”
“Comparing a country fighting a murderous terrorist organization with the actions of the Nazis during the Holocaust is worthy of any condemnation,” he added. “It is sad that the President of Brazil has stooped to such a level of extreme Holocaust distortion.”
The war between the Jewish state and Hamas began on October 7 after the organization's terrorists carried out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, as a result of which about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 253 were kidnapped. accompanied by acts of cruelty, including sexual violence.
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There are believed to be 134 hostages being held in Gaza – not all of them alive – after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a week-long truce in late November and four hostages were released before that. Three hostages were rescued alive by troops, and the bodies of 11 hostages were also found, including three who were mistakenly killed by the military. The hostages include two civilians and two dead soldiers who were held by Hamas for nearly ten years.
Israel declared war on Hamas with the declared goals of eliminating the terrorist organization and returning the hostages.
Last month, the International Court of Justice held a hearing in The Hague after South Africa filed an application accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and demanding that the court order Israel to stop fighting.
The case is expected to last for years. The court rejected South Africa's request to take immediate action to force Israel to end its campaign, but said Pretoria's claim that Israel was violating certain elements of the Genocide Convention in war was “plausible” and said Jerusalem must make efforts to prevent harm to civilians.
Former Israeli Supreme Court Chief Justice Aharon Barak, who represented Israel in the court, argued that the decision was based on “meager evidence.”
Persona non lattice
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Monday, February 19 that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will not be welcome in Israel until until he takes back his comments comparing Israel's war against the HAM terrorists to genocide during World War II
“Comparing Israel's just war against Hamas to the atrocities of Hitler and the Nazis is a shame and disgrace, as well as a serious anti-Semitic attack,” Katz told Brazilian Ambassador to Israel Federico Mayer, according to his statement office.
The ambassador was summoned after Lula said that Israel was trivializing the Holocaust and insulting Jews.
“We will not forget and we will not forgive. This is a serious anti-Semitic attack. On behalf of me and the citizens of Israel, tell President Lula that he is persona non grata in Israel until he takes back his words,” Katz said. The meeting took place at the Yad Vashem Center.
“I have brought you to a place that, more than anything else, testifies to what the Nazis and Hitler did to the Jews, including members of my family,” explained the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
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