On February 19, Brazilian President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva sparked controversy when he drew comparisons between the actions of Israelis and those of Adolf Hitler, equating the situation in the Gaza Strip to the atrocities of the Holocaust. Following this, he took the step of recalling the Brazilian Ambassador to Israel, Federic Mayer, for consultation. This move was seen as a form of protest against Israel.
The Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, chose to respond to these remarks not from his official ministerial office, but from the Yad Vashem Memorial Center of the Holocaust and Heroism. This center is a monument to the victims and heroes of the Holocaust, representing a stark reminder of the horrors that the Jewish people endured. Katz used this setting to express his disapproval of Lula da Silva’s comments, going as far as to deem him an undesirable person in Israel.
Katz was adamant in his demand that the Brazilian President apologize for his comments and retract his words. He expressed his belief that drawing a comparison between Israel’s defensive war against Hamas and Hitler’s genocidal extermination of six million Jews is not just an inaccuracy, but a direct anti-Semitic attack. He argued that such statements not only distort historical facts but also contribute to the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes and prejudice.
