Foreign Minister Katz: Brazil's President - a persona non grata in Israel

Foreign Minister Israel Katz this morning (Monday) summoned Brazil's ambassador to Israel, Federico Mayer, to a reprimand conversation held at the Yad Vashem Museum. This follows Brazilian President Luiz Início Lula da Silva claiming last night that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and comparing its to Hitler's attrocities against the Jewish people.

During the conversation, Katz presented the Brazilian ambassador with the Book of Names, which includes the names of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust - including members his own family, his grandfather Israel Katz and grandmother Sprinza Katz.

"I brought you to a place that testifies more than anything else to what the Nazis and Hitler did to the Jews, including members of my family," Katz told the Brazilian ambassador. "The comparison between Israel's just war against Hamas, and the atrocities of Hitler and the Nazis, is a shame, disgrace, and a serious anti-Semitic attack."

Katz clarified that, "we will not forgive and we will not forget - in my name and in the name of the citizens of Israel, you will inform President Lula that he is a persona non grata in Israel until he apologizes and retracts his words."