Brazil’s President Lula da Silva has accused Israel of acting like Hitler while carrying out its military operation to eliminate the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza following its October 7, 2023 invasion, slaughter of 1,200 people and abduction of 253 others in 22 villages and several military bases in southern Israel.
Despicable and antisemitic demonization of Israel and Jews
Brazil’s Lula says that what Israel is doing to the people in the Gaza Strip “has never happened before in history, apart from what Hitler did to the Jews.”
— Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) February 18, 2024
“What’s happening in Gaza with Palestinians hasn’t happened at any other moment in history. Actually it has: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” the far-left 78-year-old president of Brazil told reporters during an African Union summit in Addis Ababa.
Israeli leaders slammed the remarks.
“The words of the president of Brazil are shameful and serious. This is about trivializing the Holocaust and trying to harm the Jewish people and Israel’s right to defend itself,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a statement on the X social media platform.
“Comparing Israel to the Nazi Holocaust and Hitler is crossing a red line.
“Israel fights for its defense and securing its future until complete victory and it does so while upholding international law.”
Netanyahu added that he decided together with Foreign Minister Israel Katz to summon the Brazilian ambassador to Israel for a “stern reprimand conversation” immediately.
“Accusing Israel of perpetrating a Holocaust is outrageous and abhorrent,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant added. “Brazil has stood with Israel for years,” he pointed out.
“President Lula supports a genocidal terrorist organization – Hamas – and in doing so brings great shame to his people, and violates the values of the free world.״
הדברים של נשיא ברזיל מבישים וחמורים. אף אחד לא יפגע בזכותה של ישראל להגן על עצמה. הוריתי לאנשי משרדי לזמן את שגריר ברזיל לשיחת נזיפה מחר.
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) February 18, 2024
“No one will harm Israel’s right to defend itself,” the Foreign Minister wrote in a separate tweet.
“I have ordered the people of my office to summon the Brazilian ambassador for a reprimand call tomorrow.”
Da Silva has been a vociferous supporter of the Palestinian Authority for years, and upon regaining the presidency of Brazil on January 1, 2023, immediately started working on tightening ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Lula” as he is known, first served as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010; in the final year of his first presidency he recognized the so-called “State of Palestine.”
