Brazil, in dispute with Israel, shows the limits of American diplomacy

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken confronted President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil on Wednesday about his recent sharp comments about Israel, including the Brazilian leader's comparison of Israeli attacks in Gaza to the Holocaust.

The sparring showed how the ongoing war in Gaza has continued to expand into a broader diplomatic problem for the United States, and how the war's rising death toll has prompted more countries to speak out against Israel's offensive.

This week, an increasingly heated dispute erupted between Brazil and Israel over Mr. Lula's comments on Sunday that the only comparison to Israel's killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza is “when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.” It was a significant escalation from his previous rhetoric.

Since then, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has said that Mr. Lula has “crossed a red line.” Israel's Foreign Minister called Brazil's ambassador to the Holocaust museum and berated him in front of the media. said Mr. Lula “went all out on Holocaust denial.”

Brazil responded by recalling its ambassador to Israel “for consultations” and according to Brazilian news mediadiscussed expelling the Israeli ambassador to Brazil if the situation escalated further.

During a 90-minute meeting in Brasilia, Brazil's capital, Mr. Blinken had a “frank conversation” with Mr. Lula, in which he said he disagreed with the Brazilian leader's recent statements and that the United States attempted to free hostages held by Hamas. and that longer humanitarian pauses be introduced, a senior US State Department official said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity during the secretary's flight to Rio de Janeiro. Mr Blinken is in Brazil for meetings at a conference of foreign ministers of the Group of 20 countries.

A senior Brazilian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the conversation on Israel was calm and respectful, and that Mr. Lula condemned both the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 and the scale of the Israeli response, which included the killing of Palestinian children.

The conversation came at the end of the meeting and Mr. Blinken opened the topic by discussing how his stepfather, Samuel Pisar, survived the Holocaust, the Brazilian official said. The biggest point of contention concerned Mr. Lula's position that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, the official said.

Both officials said the two leaders agreed on the goal of ending the conflict as quickly as possible. However, Mr. Blinken emphasized that this must be done under conditions that deter Hamas from launching another Oct. 7-style attack and end the long-running cycle of violence.

That the war between Israel and Gaza has become a point of friction in the Biden administration's dealings with one of the most influential countries in Latin America, a country considered a leading voice in the region, illustrates how the conflict has cast a shadow on US diplomacy in the region. world.

Countries in the so-called Global South, including U.S. partners, have publicly opposed U.S. policies since last fall and called for a ceasefire in the war.

These calls have grown louder as the massive civilian death toll has risen over the winter — now at about 30,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to health ministry officials there. The Hamas-led attack on October 7 killed around 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians.

The recent recall of Brazil's ambassador to Israel by Mr. Lula follows similar steps by other countries in the Middle East, Latin America and Africa, including Turkey, Jordan, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia and South Africa.

Brazil and South Africa have now emerged as two of the most vocal opponents of the war, showing that there is now little support for Israel among the BRICS group of developing countries, which is emerging as a major diplomatic and economic power. Among the other major countries in the BRICS, China and Russia have played both sides in the war, while India has tried to remain neutral.

The US has also repeatedly opposed allies in the UN and The Hague over the Gaza war. In October, the United States vetoed Brazil's proposed resolution to the UN Security Council calling for humanitarian access and protection of civilians in Gaza, as well as the immediate release of Israeli hostages.

US officials said they vetoed the measure because it did not mention Israel's right to self-defense. On Tuesday, the US vetoed another Security Council resolution tabled by Algeria on behalf of Arab states calling for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.” The US said the resolution would have jeopardized negotiations over the release of Israeli hostages.

Thousands of miles away from Mr Blinken and Mr Lula's meeting in Brasilia, the United States and Brazil faced off at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

On Wednesday, the US asked the court not to call for Israel's immediate withdrawal from Gaza, saying Israel faced “very real security needs.” A day earlier, Brazil argued the opposite in court.

The US has also opposed South Africa's case in court accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, a case that Brazil has supported. Israel denies the accusations. The court issued an initial ruling last month saying Israel must take steps to prevent genocide, although it did not call on the Israeli army to stop its campaign.

Aside from the discussion about the war in Gaza, the meeting between Mr. Blinken and Mr. Lula was largely friendly, with the two sides discussing ways to work together on the problems in Venezuela and Haiti and to strengthen cooperation on supply chains, deepen employee rights and working conditions. the environment, officials said.