Israel Declares Brazilian President "Persona Non Grata"

Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz announced today, Monday, that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will remain "persona non grata" in Israel until he retracts his comments that likened the Israeli war against the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza to the genocide committed by the Nazis during World War II. A statement from Katz's office noted that the minister told the Brazilian ambassador, "We will not forget and we will not forgive. It is a serious anti-Semitic attack. On my behalf and on behalf of the citizens of Israel, please inform President Lula that he is persona non grata in Israel until he retracts." Israel accuses Lula of downplaying the Nazi Holocaust and insulting Jews, and Katz summoned the Brazilian ambassador to denounce the comments.