Thousands of Brazilians protest Israeli onslaught on Gaza in São Paulo  (file photo)

Brasilia, February 20 (RHC)-- Brazil has said that it won’t be retracting comments made by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva drawing parallels between Israel’s war on Gaza and the Holocaust despite an ongoing diplomatic fallout, the Reuters news agency reports, citing anonymous sources.

“What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments,” Lula said at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  “In fact, it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” he said.

In the ensuing fallout, Brazil summoned Israel’s Ambassador to Brazil for talks.  Brazil’s Foreign Ministry has also recalled its ambassador to Israel following an announcement by Tel Aviv that Lula would be “persona non grata” until he retracted his comments.

“We will not forget nor forgive,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said.