'We will not forgive': Israel declares Brazil's president persona non grata
Photo: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil (Getty Images)
Israel has decided to declare Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva persona non grata. This happened because the Brazilian leader compared the war against Hamas to the Holocaust, writes The Times of Israel.
In particular, such a statement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Israel Katz.
Katz, whose parents survived the Holocaust, personally told Brazilian Ambassador Federico Mayer that Israel "will not forget" and they (Israelis - ed.) "will not forgive" Lula da Silva's remarks. It happened near the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem.
"In my name, and in the name of all Israeli citizens, tell President Lula that he is persona non grata in Israel until he retracts his statements," the foreign minister said.
He added that comparing Israel's just war against Hamas with the atrocities of Nazi Germany leader Adolf Hitler and the Nazis "is a disgrace and a severe antisemitic attack."
What Lula da Silva said
Earlier Lula da Silva said that such events that currently taking place in the Gaza Strip have already happened in history "when Hitler decided to kill the Jews."
He also added that this is allegedly a war of well-trained soldiers against women and children.
We previously reported that Israel was ready to expand its military operation in the south of the Gaza Strip and carry out a ground attack on Rafah on the border with Egypt.
