Brazilian President's Comparison Of Gaza Conflict To Holocaust Angers Israel
Brazilian President's comparison of Gaza conflict to holocaust angers Israel, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that Israel's military campaign amounted to a confrontation between a "highly prepared army and women and children."
Author:Rhyley CarneyReviewer:Paula M. GrahamFeb 19, 20246.2K Shares87.8K Views
Brazilian President's comparison of Gaza conflict to Holocaust angers Israel, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that Israel's military campaign amounted to a confrontation between a "highly prepared army and women and children."
Israel's foreign minister labeled Lula's remarks as antisemitic and declared him "persona non grata" in the country until he retracted his statement.
The primary Jewish organization in Brazil also criticized Lula's comments.
Speaking from an African Union summit in Ethiopia, Lula remarked, "What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments. In fact, it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews."
"It's not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It's a war between a highly prepared army and women and children."
The politician initially condemned Hamas after their gunmen killed at least 1,200 people and seized 253 hostages in a surprise attack on Israel on October 7th. However, he has since become vocal in criticizing Israel's retaliatory military campaign, which the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims has resulted in the deaths of more than 28,800 people, predominantly women and children.
His latest remarks follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's commitment to continue the offensive in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, where approximately 1.5 million people have fled, despite increasing international pressure.
"We will not forget nor forgive," Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in response.
"It is a serious antisemitic attack. In my name and the name of the citizens of Israel - tell President Lula that he is persona non grata in Israel until he takes it back."
Netanyahu previously characterized Lula's comments as "trivializing the Holocaust and attempting to undermine the Jewish people's rights and Israel's right to self-defense."
“„The comparison between Israel and the Holocaust of the Nazis and Hitler is crossing a red line.- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
The Nazi regime systematically murdered six million Jewish people during the 1930s and 1940s. On Monday, Israel called for a meeting with the Brazilian ambassador.
The Brazilian Israelite Confederation, the main Jewish organization in the country, criticized former President Lula's comments, calling them a distortion of reality and offensive to Holocaust victims and their descendants. Lula supported South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year.
In January, ICJ judges allowed South Africa's case against Israel to proceed, instructing Israel to prevent genocidal acts by its military, to stop and punish incitement to genocide, and to provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza. However, the court did not demand an immediate halt to Israel's military operations in Gaza. Brazil and South Africa, both members of the BRICS group, are key developing economies that aim to counterbalance wealthier Western nations.
On the ground in Gaza, the World Health Organization reported that Nasser Hospital ceased functioning after an Israeli raid. The IDF described its operation as precise and limited, accusing Hamas of using hospitals for terrorist purposes. Efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have been ongoing in Cairo, although Qatari mediators stated that recent progress has been not very promising.
Rhyley Carney
Author
Paula M. Graham
Reviewer
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