Lula calls Israel 'genocidal' but wants to buy its modern army weapons

Brazil's leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has compared the conflict in Gaza, between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, to Hitler's genocide. This was a harsh, shameful and totally unnecessary offense to the people of Israel and their government.

Despite this, Brazil has bought 36 self-propelled trucks from an Israeli firm for an amount of $200 million. The purchase of equipment from Elbit Systems would include modern simulators to train the Brazilian army.

Israeli artillery surpassed several international firms, from countries such as France and China, in the selection process. The Israeli company won the tender in good faith. But the ideological factor in Lula's government has hindered this purchase and divided opinions between those who support the army and those who defend the hard line of the Workers' Party, such as the all-powerful minister Celso Amorim.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has an erratic and contradictory foreign policy. He called for repeat elections in Venezuela after Nicolas Maduro's obvious fraud; he calls Israel genocidal and he supports Vladimir Putin's brutality against Ukraine. These are all reprehensible positions, especially coming from the current president of the G20 and the largest democracy in Latin America. 

Lula is on the side not of Gazans but of Hamas terrorists specifically. The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, one of the most wanted terrorists globally and a leader of Hamas. The pro-Hamas statement included a line, amusingly lacking in self-awareness, that “acts of violence, under any motivation, do not contribute to the pursuit of lasting stability and peace in the Middle East.”  

Lula is a friend and defender of the regime in Iran. During the inauguration of its new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, the vice president of Brazil, Geraldo Alckmin, celebrated 120 years of bilateral relations with Tehran. The vice president sat smiling in the front row alongside representatives of Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. 

The Brazilian president has been declared persona non grata in Israel after comparing its self-defense efforts to Hitler's Holocaust. “He has crossed a red line,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who noted that “Israel is fighting to defend itself and ensure its future until total victory.” 

During his recent visit to Africa, the Brazilian head of state took the opportunity to compare the war in Gaza with the Holocaust suffered by 6 million Jews — an abhorrant and antisemitic analogy. The causes, numbers and lethality of both events are not even remotely comparable. This type of approach reinforces a dangerous anti-Jewish narrative and adds pain to the nation victimized by Hamas's brutal attacks on its civilians. 

Lula is also an admirer and defender of Putin, who has asked Ukraine to surrender its sovereignty and hand over its homeland to the Russian aggressor. The U.S. has criticized this position as a mere repetition of Russian propaganda, and Europe reproached Lula for putting the attacked and the aggressor on an equal footing. 

Additionally, the Brazilian president has said that he would like to invite Putin to the G20 Summit in Rio, even though the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for his war crimes against Ukrainian children. 

Brazil has disrespected the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people and called for fresh elections to bolster the dictatorial regime that oppresses them. Lula has asked that, despite the evident 30-point electoral defeat of Nicolás Maduro, the elections be repeated. 

Israel's technological superiority in defending its sovereignty has become clear. Although some nations condemn its legitimate right to defend itself, Israel has made it clear that it has the necessary capabilities to prevent further attacks by Hezbollah and Hamas.

This latest episode of Brazil and its interest in Israeli military technology showcase Lula's double standards and ideological fanaticism. He is not a defender of global peace, but of the interests of authoritarian, anti-democratic and terrorist regimes. In his carnival of lies, his mask has slipped once again.

Arturo McFields is an exiled journalist, former ambassador to the Organization of American States and former member of the Norwegian Peace Corps.