In Brazil, Blinken intervenes in a dispute with Israel.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken confronted Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday about his recent sharp comments about Israel, including the Brazilian leader's statements comparing the Israeli attacks in Gaza with 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 consultation” 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, 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.