Foreign Minister Katz summons Brazilian ambassador… “A person to be avoided until he withdraws his remarks.”
Lula: “The current situation in Gaza has no precedent other than the Holocaust.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been designated as a persona non grata.
According to the Times of Israel (TOI) on the 19th (local time), Minister Katz summoned Brazilian Ambassador to Israel Federico Mayor and said, “In the name of me and all Israeli citizens, President Lula will remain in Israel until he withdraws his remarks.” “Please tell him that he is a diplomatically avoided person,” he emphasized.
A government with a diplomatic mission can designate a person to avoid diplomatically in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention. The government can refuse to appoint the people listed here and deprive them of diplomatic immunity without elaborating on the reasons. However, since President Lula is not a diplomatic envoy, Minister Gatz’s expression can be interpreted as formal rhetoric containing strong protest.
Minister Katz, the son of a Holocaust survivor, met with Ambassador Mayer at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and said, “Israel will not forget (President Lula’s remarks) and will not forgive.”
“I brought you to a place that proves better than anywhere else what the Nazis and (Adolf) Hitler did to the Jews, including my family,” he said. “Compare the just Israel’s war with Hamas with the atrocities of Hitler and the Nazis.” “It is a disgrace and a serious anti-Semitic attack,” he pointed out.
He also showed Ambassador Mayer the names of his grandparents on the list of victims.
The day before, President Lula said in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, “What is happening in the Gaza Strip is not a war, but a genocide,” and “It is not a war between soldiers. “It is a war between a highly prepared army and women and children.”
He then put the two on the same line, saying, “What is happening to the Palestinian people and the Gaza Strip has never happened at any other moment in history except when Hitler decided to massacre the Jews.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement strongly protesting that a line that should not be crossed was crossed.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “President Lula’s remarks are shameful and concerning. “This is trivializing the Holocaust and is an attempt to violate the Jewish people and Israel’s right to self-defense,” he said. “Israel is fighting to protect the defense and future of its homeland while upholding international law until it achieves complete victory.” I stopped.
Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan also criticized, saying, “This remark symbolizes blatant anti-Semitism,” and “It is an absurd combination of hatred and ignorance.”
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began in October last year, the number of Palestinian deaths in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 29,000. Israel is partially justifying its actions by saying that at least 10,000 of the dead were Hamas terrorists.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.