{"id":300280,"date":"2025-08-04T12:00:49","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T11:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=300280"},"modified":"2025-08-01T01:08:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T00:08:30","slug":"in-protest-over-gaza-brazil-withdraws-from-international-holocaust-remembrance-alliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/08\/in-protest-over-gaza-brazil-withdraws-from-international-holocaust-remembrance-alliance\/","title":{"rendered":"In Protest Over Gaza, Brazil Withdraws from International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Note from TMS Editor: Searching for this news item, Google shows only Israeli sources contrary to the decision. Please try for yourself. 1 Aug 2025)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Brazilian President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva, wearing a keffiyeh, speaks with a Palestinian official after inaugurating Brazil Street alongside Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad (his right), outside the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on 17 Mar 2010.\u00a0 Photo: Marina Passos\/AFP\/File photo<\/p><\/div>\n

31 Jul 2025\u00a0<\/em>– The government of President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva has formally withdrawn Brazil from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), intensifying diplomatic tensions with Israel and reigniting global debate over the boundaries between antisemitism and criticism of Israeli policies. The decision, made on 18 July but only confirmed publicly on 24 July by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has drawn both praise and criticism at home and abroad, particularly in the context of Brazil\u2019s recent support for genocide accusations against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).<\/p>\n

Brazil had joined the IHRA in 2021 during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, holding observer status within the organisation. According to sources within Brazil\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty), the accession was \u201chasty\u201d and lacked sufficient public or institutional debate. These officials cited unmet obligations, such as financial contributions and participation in plenary sessions, as contributing factors in the decision to leave.<\/p>\n

Brazil\u2019s withdrawal from the IHRA comes on the heels of its decision to join South Africa in accusing Israel of genocide at the ICJ. Despite the timing, Brazilian officials insist the move is not directly linked to its formal entry into the ICJ lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel on 23 July. However, the diplomatic and symbolic overlap is hard to ignore.<\/p>\n

In its official statement, the Brazilian government condemned Israel\u2019s conduct, citing a lack of accountability and accusing it of violating international norms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no longer room for moral ambiguity or political omission,\u201d the Itamaraty statement read. \u201cImpunity undermines international legality and compromises the credibility of the multilateral system.\u201d<\/p>\n

The government emphasised that its participation in international alliances must reflect Brazil\u2019s constitutional values, particularly the defence of human rights and the self-determination of peoples.<\/p>\n

Israel swiftly condemned Brazil\u2019s withdrawal from the IHRA. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs labeled the move a \u201cprofound moral failure\u201d and accused Brazil of abandoning the global consensus on fighting antisemitism. Fernando Lottenberg, the Commissioner for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism at the Organization of American States (OAS), also criticised the decision, calling it a \u201cmistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Domestically, the reaction was polarised. Senator Sergio Moro (Uni\u00e3o Brasil\u2013PR) described the move as \u201cyet another international embarrassment\u201d by the Lula administration, accusing it of adopting a hostile stance toward the Jewish community.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n