Explaining Brazil #281: Why Lula compared Israel to the Nazis

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva shocked many in the global community when he compared the violence of Israel’s military actions in Gaza — which followed terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas in October — to the atrocities committed against the Jews by Nazi Germany.

“What is happening in Gaza to the Palestinian people hasn’t happened in any other moment in history. Actually, it happened when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” said the president.

Unsurprisingly, the statements sparked a diplomatic crisis with Israel. 

Israel summoned the Brazilian ambassador for a meeting — which turned into a public scolding — and declared Lula a persona non grata. Brazil responded by recalling its ambassador to Israel.

Both Brazil’s and Israel’s moves are giving the other side little room to lower tensions, and the diplomatic crisis could continue escalating.

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In this episode:

• Daniel Buarque is an executive editor of Interesse Nacional, an online magazine about Brazilian diplomacy. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of São Paulo and King’s College in London and studies Brazil in Global Perspective. He is also the author of the upcoming book “Brazil’s International Status and Recognition as an Emerging Power.”

Background reading on Brazil-Israel relations:

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Lula crossed a “red line” by comparing Israel to Hitler. The quickly escalating diplomatic crisis may also create problems for his domestic politics.
• In January, the Brazilian government decided to support South Africa’s genocide charges against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The move split opinions domestically.
• When Hamas attacked Israel, we told you that the Middle East crisis would be a challenge to Brazilian diplomacy.
• Our Latin America Weekly newsletter showed that there has been a wave of Latin American governments distancing themselves from Israel as the death toll from its military campaign in Gaza continues to rise. The exception to that rule is Argentina’s Javier Milei.

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