Lula and Blinken meet in Brasília and avoid discussing Israel Statement

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took advantage of their meeting at the Palácio do Planalto on Wednesday to discuss “peace solutions” in the Gaza Strip, a region that has been a focal point of conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group. The information was confirmed to Valor by government sources.

However, according to sources, neither side mentioned the controversial statement made by the Brazilian president comparing the humanitarian crisis in the region to the Holocaust, the mass murder of Jews by the Nazis during World War II.

The meeting comes amid escalating tensions between Brazil and Israel triggered by Lula’s comparison. The United States is a traditional ally of Israel but has intensified criticism of Israeli military actions in the Palestinian enclave, despite being one of the main suppliers of weapons to the country.

Blinken visited Brazil to participate in the G20 ministerial summit, which brings together the world’s 19 largest economies and the European Union. Brazil currently presides over the organization and has scheduled the summit for Thursday and Friday in Rio de Janeiro.