Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) is facing fresh backlash from his country's Jewish community after claiming the United Nations (UN) founded the state of Israel. During a speech in Spain, Lula stated that the UN created the State of Israel in 1948, but did not say the same in relation to the Palestinians. "The UN was so strong that, in 1948, it managed to create the State of Israel. In 2023, it fails to create a Palestinian state," Lula said.
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"As for a State for Palestinians, neither the UN nor other international organizations currently have the role of creating it, unless Palestinians and Israelis themselves come to seal the peace independently," the statement added. Lula's statement is not the first he has come at odds with the Jewish state. In March, Israel criticized Brazil's decision to allow two Iranian warships to dock at its port in Rio de Janeiro.
A year later, Lula became the first Brazilian head of state to visit Israel since Emperor Pedro II visited the Holy Land in 1876. He had, however, refused to go to the tomb of Theodor Herzl, which was part of the itinerary planned for foreign officials visiting for the 150th anniversary of the father of Zionism. A few days later, he laid a wreath at Yasser Arafat's grave in Ramallah. Finally, in the last month of his previous term, his government officially recognized a Palestinian state.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
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