Via Fernando de Castro in Brazil
Brazilian Communist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned Israel’s armed response to terrorist attacks by Hamas. Da Silva made the statement during the repatriation of Brazilians rescued in the Gaza Strip last Monday, 13.
This is not the first time Da Silva has criticized Israel and downplayed Hamas attacks on Israel, as reported by TGP in October.
Lula da Silva said:
“I have never seen such brutal and inhumane violence against innocents. Because if Hamas committed an act of terrorism and did what it did, the State of Israel is also committing various acts of terrorism by not considering that children are not at war.”
On Tuesday, 14, Lula again criticized Israel. Once again, the Brazilian communist accused the Israeli government of terrorism and killing children, although this is a practice of the Hamas terrorist group.
Da Silva expressed:
“Israel’s behavior doing what it is doing with children, hospitals, with women […] is equal to terrorism.”
Lula’s statement sparked outrage in Jewish communities and even in diplomacy. On the same day that Da Silva again accused Israel of terrorism, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz came to Israel’s defense.
Scholz said:
“Israel is a democracy. We have to make that clear. It is a country committed to human rights and international law and acts accordingly. And that is why the accusations against Israel are absurd. There can be no doubt about that.”
In total opposition to Lula, former conservative president Jair Bolsonaro criticized Lula da Silva’s statements. Bolsonaro became known for his pro-Israel stance throughout his administration, in addition to the friendship he formed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Jair Bolsonaro compared Lula da Silva’s political party, the Workers’ Party (“PT” in Portuguese), with Hamas terrorists.
The former conservative president said that “PT and Hamas are kindred spirits,” comparing Hamas’s terrorist acts with the Workers’ Party administrations, marked by widespread corruption, mass homicides, and partnerships with extreme-left dictatorships and terrorist groups in Latin America.
