Brazil's Lula calls for 'free and sovereign Palestinian state' amid Israel-Hamas war
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva once again branded Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip a "genocide" at an event in Rio de Janeiro on Friday (Feb 23). He also called for a "free and sovereign Palestinian state" during the event.
"I am in favour of the creation of a free and sovereign Palestinian state," Lula said.
"What…Israel is doing is not a war, it is genocide because it is killing women and children," he said.
"It is a genocide. Thousands of children are dead and thousands are missing. Soldiers are not dying. Women and children are dying at the hospital," he said. "If that's not genocide, I don't know what genocide is," he added.
The Brazilian president's remarks come amid a diplomatic row between the South American nation and Israel after Lula controversially compared its campaign in Gaza to the Holocaust.
Drawing a comparison between Israeli military actions and Adolf Hitler's campaign to exterminate the Jewish people, Lula on Sunday (Feb 18) said "What's happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people hasn't happened at any other moment in history. Actually, it has happened: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews."
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Following this, the Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Monday (Feb 19) declared that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is unwelcome in Israel until he retracts his remarks.
Labelling the comments as a "serious antisemitic attack" he said that the Brazilian leader is "persona non grata" until he takes back the remark.
"We will not forget nor forgive. It is a serious antisemitic attack. In my name and the name of the citizens of Israel - tell President Lula that he is persona non grata in Israel until he takes it back."
'Shameful and grave' comments
Reacting to Lula's remarks, Netanyahu deemed them as "shameful and grave", and said that his government had called in Brazil's ambassador in protest.
In a statement, he said that the Brazilian President's comments were "a trivialisation of the Holocaust and an attempt to attack the Jewish people and the right of Israel to self-defence. Drawing comparisons between Israel and the Nazis and Hitler is to cross a red line".
"Israel is fighting to defend itself and ensure its future until total victory, and it is doing that while upholding international law," he added.
(With inputs from agencies)