Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva once again accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza with its military operations against the Hamas terrorist group. In addition, the socialist leader supported Palestine being officially recognized as a "free and sovereign" state.
"I am in favor of the creation of a free and sovereign Palestinian state. May this Palestinian state live in harmony with the State of Israel. What the government of the State of Israel is doing is not a war, it is a genocide. They are murdering children and women. Don't try to interpret the interview I gave. Read the interview and stop judging me for what the prime minister of Israel said," Lula da Silva wrote in a social media post.
Da mesma forma que eu disse quando estava preso que eu não aceitaria acordo para sair da cadeia e que eu não trocaria a minha liberdade pela minha dignidade, eu digo: não troco a minha dignidade pela falsidade. Eu sou favorável à criação do Estado Palestino livre e soberano. Que…
— Lula (@LulaOficial) February 23, 2024
This new attack from Lula da Silva occurs amidst a rift in diplomatic relations between Israel and Brazil. A few days ago, the Israeli government declared the socialist leader persona non grata after he made statements quite similar to his recent post.
Previously, in addition to accusing Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza, the Brazilian president equated the Israeli counteroffensives against Hamas to the Jewish extermination committed by Nazi Germany. "The comparison made by Brazil’s President, [Lula da Silva], between Israel’s just war against Hamas and the atrocities of Hitler and the Nazis, which exterminated 6 million Jews, is a disgrace and a severe antisemitic attack that desecrates the memory of those killed in the Holocaust. We will not forget nor forgive. In my name and the name of the citizens of Israel, I declare President Lula persona non grata in Israel until he reconsiders his words," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in response to the accusations.
