Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has ruined all chances of playing an international role as mediator. It's not his first slip-up.
Lula's remark might be forgivable if it were a blip in an otherwise impeccable record as a democrat and peace diplomat. But it is the latest in a series of disturbing political signals that do not fit with the image of democrat and humanitarian that Lula himself is so fond of cultivating. The systematic genocide of six million Jews is unique in history and is not suitable for comparison.