Israel’s top diplomat said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is unwelcome in the country after he likened Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists to Germany’s campaign to exterminate Jews during World War II.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Israel Katz formally declared Mr. Lula “persona non grata” in Israel until he apologized for the remarks. He said the comparison was a “serious anti-Semitic attack that profanes the memory of those who were killed in the Holocaust.”
“We will not forgive, nor will we forget,” Mr. Katz said.
He earlier summoned Brazil’s ambassador to Israel to Yad Vashem, the country’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, for a diplomatic reprimand. The leftist Brazilian leader made the remarks on Saturday in Ethiopia where he was encouraging greater economic cooperation between Brazil and Africa.
Mr. Lula described the fighting in the Gaza Strip as a genocide orchestrated by Israel and aimed at Palestinian women and children rather than opposing soldiers.
“What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people does not exist at any other historical moment,” he told reporters. “In fact, it existed when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Mr. Lula’s remarks “shameful and serious” and said it trivialized the Holocaust and was intended to harm Israel’s right to defend itself.
“Comparing Israel to the Nazi Holocaust and Hitler is crossing a red line,” Mr. Netanyahu said on social media. “Israel fights for its defense and securing its future until complete victory. It does so while upholding international law.”
Following Israel’s moves, Brazil on Monday recalled the country’s ambassador to Israel, Frederico Meyer, for consultations, the Associated Press reported, “in light of the seriousness of this morning’s statements by the Israeli government,” according to a statement from his ministry.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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