The Israeli government declared Brazilian President Lula da Silva "persona non grata" for his remarks on the situation in Gaza.

In a speech during the African Union Summit in Ethiopia, Lula compared the Israeli offensive to the actions of the Nazis against the Jews.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly accused him of "trivializing the Holocaust".

He also declared that the South American leader had crossed a red line with his speech in Addis Ababa.

For its part, the Brazilian government recalled its ambassador in Tel Aviv for consultations in protest over criticism of Lula.

Brasilia recalled that their President condemned from the beginning the Hamas terrorist attacks in all forums.

And they expressed the opinion that declaring him "Persona non Grata" "is absurd" and "only increases Israel's isolation".