Brazil's Lula withdraws ambassador from Brazil

MEXICO CITY

Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva confirmed Wednesday the withdrawal of Ambassador to Israel, Frederico Meyer, for Tel Aviv’s onslaught against the Gaza Strip, according to the official Journal of the Union.

It said Meyer will be appointed as Brazil's Special Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

Diplomatic tensions have been brewing between Brazil and Israel as the International Criminal Court is reviewing an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity for their execution of the onslaught against the Palestine encalve.

Meyer was previously recalled in February for consultations but was reinstated soon afterward.

That was precipitated when Lula called Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip a “genocide” and compared it to the Holocaust perpetrated by Adolf Hitler in World War II.
"What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has not happened at any other time in history. In reality, it happened when Hitler decided to kill the Jews," he said.

Israel responded by designating Lula “persona non grata.”

The decision to recall the ambassador does not constitute a diplomatic rupture but no official replacement has been announced, according to media reports.

The Brazilian business representative is now in charge at the embassy in Israel.

Lula applauded the international call to recognize Palestine as a state and congratulated Norway, Spain and Ireland for recognizing Palestinian statehood.