Israel's foreign minister on Monday said that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was not welcome in Israel until he takes back his comments likening the war against Hamas militants in Gaza to the Nazi genocide during World War Two.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gives a speech during his visit to the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt February 15, 2024. Reuters/Mohamed Abdel-Ghany
Israel's foreign minister on Monday said that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was not welcome in Israel until he takes back his comments likening the war against Hamas militants in Gaza to the Nazi genocide during World War Two.
"We will not forget nor forgive. 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," Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Brazil's ambassador, according to a statement from Katz's office.
Israel has accused Lula of trivialising the Holocaust and causing offense to the Jewish people, and Katz had summoned the Brazilian ambassador for a reprimand over the remarks.
Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch
An Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed a senior officer of the Hamas-run Palestinian internal security service in the Gaza Strip and an associate as they travelled in a vehicle through Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, medics and police officials said.
On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly handed High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk a fresh four-year mandate, ignoring clear opposition from the United States, Russia, and Israel.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the U.S. next week.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.