Explained: Why is Israel fuming at Brazilian President Lula's ‘Holocaust’ remark?

Israel has lashed out at Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva for comparing its war with Hamas in Gaza Strip with the Holocaust – a remark which has further strained the relations between the two countries.

While Brazil has responded by calling back its ambassador, Israel has dubbed Lula ‘persona non grata’, stating that he wouldn’t be welcome to the country until he apologises for his remarks. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has accused Lula of anti-semitism, stating that he has not only trivialised the Holocaust but also “crossed a red line.”

Here is what sparked the row and exchange of barbs between the two countries:

What triggered the row?

Addressing the press at the African Union summit in Ethiopia on Sunday (February 18), Lula said the conflict in Gaza Strip was not a war but genocide and compared it with the Holocaust where the Nazi Army led by Adolf Hitler massacred millions of Jews during World War II.

“What is happening in the Gaza Strip and to the Palestinian people hasn’t been seen in any other moment in history. Actually, it did when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” he said.

Lula's comments came after leaders at the summit on Saturday (February 17) condemned Israel's offensive in Gaza and called for its immediate end.

How did Israel react?

Condemning Lula’s remark, Israel accused him of being “anti-semitic” and “trivialising” the Nazi genocide of European Jews. While Brazil-Israel relations have deteriorated since Lula’s return to power last year, his comments have further strained the ties between the two countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Lula's comments “trivialised the Holocaust” and that he has “crossed a red line.” He also accused Lula of being a “virulent anti-Semite.”

Accusing Lula of a “very serious antisemitic attack,” Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Monday (February 19) said that Brazilian president would not be welcome in the country until he apologises for his comments.

Katz also summoned the Brazilian ambassador to Israel's national Holocaust museum in Jerusalem on Monday for a reprimand.

“The things that Lula said when he compared the righteous war of the State of Israel against Hamas, which murdered and massacred the Jews, and Hitler and the Nazis is shameful and unacceptable,” Katz said.

Katz later declared Lula “persona non grata” for his statement.

Brazil's response 

Following Israel's reaction to Lula's comments, Brazil on Monday recalled the country's ambassador to Israel, Frederico Meyer, for consultations.

Brazil's foreign affairs minister Mauro Vieira also summoned the Israeli ambassador Daniel Zonshine “in light of the seriousness of this morning's statements by the Israeli government,” according to a statement from his ministry.

Celso Amorim, former foreign affairs minister, and a special adviser to Lula, told local news outlet G1 that Israel's reaction was “absurd.” “It only increases Israel's isolation. Lula is sought after all over the world and at the moment it's Israel that's (persona) non grata,” Amorim said.

Brazil's presidential palace did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

First lady Rosângela da Silva, Lula's wife, said she was proud of her husband for defending peace and the right to life for women and children. “The speech referred to the genocidal government and not to the Jewish people, let's be honest in our analysis,” she said.

“Netanyahu should be concerned about the rejection he arouses in the world and in his own country, before trying to reprimand anyone who denounces his policy of exterminating the Palestinian people. He has no moral or political authority to point the finger at anyone,” Gleisi Hoffmann, president of Lula's Workers' Party, told Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.

Why Lula touched a raw nerve?

Lula has portrayed himself as a leader of the “Global South,” a loosely defined group of developing countries. His comments struck a raw nerve in Israel, a country established as a haven for Jews in the wake of the Holocaust. Israel rejects any comparisons of its conduct in the war in Gaza to the Holocaust.

Lula has previously said Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza and has supported South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide at the UN's International Court of Justice. His Sunday’s comment was the first time he directly compared Israel's actions to the Holocaust.

In January, during a meeting with the Palestinian ambassador, Lula condemned Hamas' attack on October 7 but said there was no justification for the indiscriminate killing of civilians and pushed for a cease-fire.

Last week, Lula met with the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mohammad Shtayyeh, before participating in the African Union summit in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.

After the meeting, Brazil's presidential palace said: “Lula condemned Hamas attacks against Israeli civilians, indicated agreement with the need for a cease-fire and reiterated the Brazilian government's commitment to the two-state solution — with an economically viable Palestinian state, living in peace and security with Israel, within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders."

The war in Gaza Strip was triggered by an October 7 attack by Hamas militants, who stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 hostages. Militants still hold around 130 hostages, a fourth of them believed to be dead. Most of the others were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November.

The war has killed at least 28,985 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Around 80 per cent of Gaza's population have been driven from their homes, and a quarter face starvation.

The heavy death toll and widespread damage have led to mounting criticism of Israel and growing calls for a ceasefire.

(With inputs from agencies)