US Secretary of State Antony Blinken posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday that he had met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula), who recently compared Israel’s war against Hamas to the Holocaust. He did not mention that he had defamed him.
Meeting with the president @LulaOficial Before the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Brazil is an important partner on many issues, including combating the climate crisis and promoting human and labor rights. As the relationship between the United States and Brazil approaches its 200th anniversary, the bond between our two countries is stronger than ever. pic.twitter.com/wdVWL6KQ5j
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 21, 2024
As Breitbart News reported on Sunday, Lula likened Israel’s war of self-defense against Hamas terrorists to the Holocaust, where Jews played the role of Nazi perpetrators.Israel declared Lula persona non grata In response, they banned him from the country.
(Notably, Lula also defended Russian President Vladimir Putin over the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.)
On Tuesday, the White House reluctantly said under pressure from reporters that Lula’s comparison was false.
white house records show Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre finally criticized Lula’s abuse of the Holocaust.
Q And one more thing about language. Do you agree with Prime Minister Netanyahu that it was inappropriate for Brazil’s Lula to compare the plight of Palestinians to that of Jews in the Holocaust?
M.S. Jean-Pierre: Look, I’m not — I’ll let Lula tell me about herself. We have made our position very clear. We clearly support Israel’s ability to protect itself from Hamas and this terrorist organization. He is clearly one of the reasons why we continue to push for the National Security Supplemental Bill.
What we witnessed on October 7th was 1,200 people, over 1,200 people killed, and obviously over 150 people taken hostage. And it was a shocking and tragic day. And we want to continue to make sure that Israel can defend itself.
Obviously, we also want to make sure that vital humanitarian aid reaches the Palestinian civilians who are the victims of what Hamas is doing. Remember — forget: Hamas is embedded in hospitals and civilian infrastructure, harming its own people.
So we want to make sure that we have a temporary ceasefire, that we complete it, that we get aid, and that we make sure that the hostages are returned to their families.
Q Also, can I just follow Trevor’s question? Just to be specific, as bad as the suffering in Gaza is, is it appropriate to equate it with the Holocaust?
M.S. Jean Pierre: Look, I – I’m not – this is a very sensitive situation right now – obviously a very sensitive issue. We understand that this is very personal as it is about what people are seeing in Gaza.
And what I can say is that what we stand for – of course, our policy in Israel – is unwavering. And I’m going to be very careful.
Obviously, these are two different scenarios. — Two different situations: What we saw in the Holocaust. And those are two different things that shouldn’t be compared.
But clearly, the misery we are seeing among Palestinian civilians, caused by Hamas, is devastating. It’s devastating.
Mr. Blinken, however, appears to have no such reservations, and has thrust the much-maligned Mr. Lula back into the spotlight.
State Department read out loud The meeting with Lula did not include any criticism of Lula’s rhetoric on Israel and Gaza.
There were Brazilians among them. victim Regarding the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack that led to Israel’s continued military action in Gaza.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of the recent book, The Zionist Conspiracy (And How to Participate in It), now available on Audible. He is also the author of an e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
