The diplomatic rift ignited by Brazil‘s president likening Israel’s conflict with Hamas to the Holocaust is showing signs of de-escalation, according to Israel’s ambassador in Brasilia.
“We are trying to lower the flames, and we are hopeful,” Ambassador Daniel Zonshine said in an interview with Reuters. “It will take time to get back to full relations,” he added.
Relations between the two nations soured when President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva compared the Israeli action in Gaza to the Nazi genocide during World War Two while attending an African Union summit in Addis Ababa.
Zonshine labeled the comparison as “totally unacceptable,” and Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz summoned Brazil’s ambassador to Israel, Fred Meyer, for a reprimand at the Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem.
Katz also stated that Lula would not be welcome in Israel until he apologized, a move Lula has yet to make.
Meyer was subsequently recalled to Brasilia, with no set date for his return to Israel. Despite the tensions, there have been no further inflammatory remarks from either side, raising hopes for improved relations and continued cooperation in various sectors such as agriculture, irrigation, aviation, and security technology.
The Brazilian government has not confirmed whether it followed through on President Lula’s earlier announcement in February to contribute to UNRWA, the UN agency aiding Palestinian refugees. Israel alleges that some UNRWA staff are associated with Hamas, though this is subject to a UN investigation awaiting findings.
