IIsrael's Foreign Minister Israel Katz chose a symbolic location to reprimand Brazilian Ambassador Frederico Mayer. The two met on Monday at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. There Katz told the diplomat: “I have brought you to a place that bears more witness than anything else to the Nazis, who murdered six million of our Jewish people. The Brazilian president's comparison between Israel's just war against Hamas and the Nazis and Hitler's act of annihilation against the Jews is a disgrace and a serious anti-Semitic attack.” As long as Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva does not retract his statement and apologize, he is in Israel is an “undesirable person,” Katz said.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Lula da Silva had crossed a “red line,” as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it. “I wonder how much political consciousness these people have who do not understand that what is happening in Gaza is not a war but a genocide,” the Brazilian president had said at a news conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he attended the African Union summit. “What is happening in Gaza and to the Palestinian people has never happened at any other time in history. In fact, this happened before: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”

This comparison caused great outrage in Israel. Netanyahu said the Brazilian president had “demonized the Jewish state like a vicious anti-Semite.” And Dani Dayan, the head of Yad Vashem, pointed out that Lula's comments met standard definitions of anti-Semitism. “It is extremely disappointing that the leader of Brazil, a country of great prestige, distorts the Holocaust and spreads anti-Semitic sentiments in such a blatant manner,” Dayan said.

“A shame”

Lula's statements were also met with outrage outside of Israel, as they went far beyond criticism of Israel and its war in the Gaza Strip and even beyond accusations of violating international law or even genocide. In the eyes of many observers, Lula's statement not only shows little historical knowledge, but can also be seen as a trivialization of the Holocaust. The bottom line is that Lula may have done himself and his country a disservice. Lula is not thinking of backing down, on the contrary. On Monday afternoon he recalled his ambassador to Israel, deepening the diplomatic crisis.

There was also clear criticism in Brazil. Opposition Senator Ciro Nogueira described the comparison as “a disgrace”. “The Holocaust is incomparable and can never be naturalized. On behalf of Brazilians, we apologize to the world and to all Jews.” An official statement from the Brazil-Israel Parliamentary Group condemned the president's comments as “biased and dishonest.” The comments demonstrated “historical ignorance and a lack of balance in leading our country,” the group said. While calls for removal proceedings against Lula da Silva grew louder in the opposition, parts of the left rallied behind the president with the most adventurous arguments. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Lula has made no secret about which side he is on. After Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians, his government initially struggled to name Hamas. To this day it refuses to speak of a terrorist group, hiding behind the UN Security Council definition.

Brazil has wanted to reform the UN Security Council for some time. The Lula government is calling for nothing less than a “new geopolitics,” an end to the right of veto and a “pacifist attitude” among members. Geopolitical tensions and the reforms sought by Brazil and other countries are a central theme during Brazil's presidency of the G-20 this year and are expected to be a focus during the G-20 foreign ministers' conference next Wednesday and Thursday in Rio de Janeiro .

Lula da Silva likes to see himself as a mediator and bridge builder in international conflicts. But not only since his Holocaust comparison has it been questioned whether his government has enough credibility for such a role. Lula da Silva still fails to criticize the dictatorships in Latin America, such as Venezuela and Cuba, where opposition figures continue to be repressed. From a European perspective, there is a much more obvious example of Brazilian “neutrality” with Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the atrocities there. The federal government, which has honored Brazil with a whole series of visits since Lula's election victory, also discovered this with disillusionment and astonishment during Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visit a year ago: a war always requires two sides, Lula said at the time.