Lula's genocide remarks spark false claims on Israel relations
- Published on February 28, 2024 at 18:41
- Updated on March 7, 2024 at 18:01
- 3 min read
- By Natalie WADE, AFP USA
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"BREAKING: BRAZIL HAS ENDED ALL DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL," says Sulaiman Ahmed, a creator who has monetized misinformation about Israel's war with Hamas, in a February 24, 2024 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Similar claims have circulated on Facebook and TikTok, including in Portuguese.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas raided southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,160 people -- mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel responded with a relentless bombardment and subsequent ground invasion of Gaza, which has flattened much of the territory and killed nearly 30,000 people -- also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
On a mid-February trip to Ethiopia for an African Union summit, Lula described Israel's military operations in Gaza as "genocide."
"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," he said February 18.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Lula had "crossed a red line" with his comments. Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared the Brazilian president "persona non grata," no longer welcome in the country until he retracts his remarks and apologizes.
The response led Brazil to recall its ambassador Frederico Meyer, but the two countries have not cut all ties, as the posts online claim.
"We have recalled our ambassador, but that does not equate to the ending of all diplomatic relationships between Israel and Brazil," a press officer for Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told AFP on February 27, adding that the country's embassy in Tel Aviv is open.
Israeli leaders had not recalled ambassador Daniel Zonshine as of February 28.
AFP contacted the Israeli consulate general in Sao Paulo and the embassy in Washington for comment, but responses were not forthcoming.
Several countries, including South Africa and Turkey, have withdrawn their ambassadors from Israel since the war broke out. Few have gone so far as to suspend all relations with the nation.
Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia supported South Africa's complaint against Israel to the International Court of Justice in the Hague, alleging the Gaza assault amounted to a breach of the Genocide Convention.
AFP has debunked other misinformation related to the Israel-Hamas war here.
Paragraph 12 was corrected to say AFP contacted Israel's consulate general in Sao Paulo, Brazil, not its embassy.The spelling of the last name of Israel's ambassador to Brazil was corrected in paragraph 11.The headline and first paragraph of this article were updated.March 7, 2024 Paragraph 12 was corrected to say AFP contacted Israel's consulate general in Sao Paulo, Brazil, not its embassy.
March 4, 2024 The spelling of the last name of Israel's ambassador to Brazil was corrected in paragraph 11.
February 28, 2024 The headline and first paragraph of this article were updated.
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