Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has recalled his country’s ambassador to Israel following escalating tensions over Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza. The decision was made public through Brazil’s official gazette on Wednesday, although there has been no immediate response from Israeli officials.
President Lula has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, drawing parallels between the situation in Gaza and the Holocaust. These remarks led Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to summon the Brazilian ambassador to the national Holocaust museum in West Jerusalem for a formal reprimand.
Ambassador Frederico Meyer has been reassigned to Geneva, where he will serve at Brazil’s permanent mission to the United Nations and other international organizations. Lula, known for his influential role in the Global South and Brazil’s current presidency of the G20, has faced domestic criticism from far-right groups over his Holocaust comparisons. However, he has found support from other Latin American leaders, such as Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has also severed diplomatic ties with Israel.
Brazil and Colombia have endorsed South Africa’s complaint against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention with its actions in Gaza.
The conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 36,000 Palestinians and injuries to over 81,000. In Israel, at least 1,139 people have been killed since Hamas’s attacks on October 7, which precipitated the war, and many remain captive in Gaza.
Israel’s continued offensive, particularly focused on the city of Rafah, has drawn increasing international condemnation. The United Nations has reported severe restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza and warned that up to 1.4 million people were sheltering in Rafah before the ground offensive began on May 7. Since then, one million people have fled the area, according to the UNRWA.
The conflict has also reignited calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Recently, Norway, Spain, and Ireland formally recognized the State of Palestine, diverging from the traditional stance of Western nations that a Palestinian state should emerge from a negotiated peace agreement with Israel.
