The administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “continues to systematically hinder the entry of trucks with humanitarian aid at the borders with Gaza,” Vieira denounced.

Vieira appeared before the Senate at the invitation of Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Renan Calheiros to speak about the relationship between Brazil and Israel, which has been shaken following statements by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that Tel Aviv’s actions against the Palestinian people amounted to genocide. Relations worsened after Lula liked Israel’s deployment in Gaza to Hitler’s Germany in World War II.

More than 15,000 tons of international humanitarian aid supplies are awaiting approval from the Israeli government to enter Gaza, more than half of which is food, Brazil’s top diplomat explained.

“What we can do, and what we will continue to do in our current line, is to denounce Israel’s unilateral decision to repeatedly block the entry of humanitarian aid and to continue working with neighboring countries and international organizations in favor of opening humanitarian corridors,” Vieira insisted.

The minister also confirmed that part of the humanitarian aid sent by Brazil to Gaza, consisting of 30 water purifiers, was withheld by Israeli forces, with no reasons given, although Vieira hinted it could be because the “purifiers are solar-powered and have voltaic kits.”

Lula said during an appearance in Ethiopia that Israel’s retaliation following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas resembled Nazi Germany practices since over 31,000 people have been killed in Gaza, 70% of whom were women and children.

“It is in this context of deep indignation that President Lula’s statements are set. They are words that express the sincerity of someone who seeks to preserve and value the supreme value of human life,” Vieira insisted.

He has been disenfranchised until 2030 and his passport has been seized by the Supreme Federal Court (STF), thus banning him from traveling abroad except to neighboring nations where his ID card would be a valid document.

The root bolsonarista believes that the Avenida Paulista gathered 700,000 people ( 150,000 people is a more credible number) to hear Bolsonaro defend himself against the accusation that he planned a coup with the aim of annulling the results of the 2022 presidential election.

This same crowd doubts that more than 700,000 people died in Brazil as a result of the way the Bolsonaro administration dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic. They seem to believe only news received via WhatsApp from other “patriots” like themselves.

According to polls taken at Avenida Paulista almost all of the demonstrators believe that Brazil is going through a “dictatorship” under the Lula government. And Lula has never won the presidential elections.

Bolsonaro is under investigation for his alleged involvement in the January 8, 2023, uprising in Brasília, which authorities claim was an attempted coup d’état against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

But “what is a coup?” Bolsonaro asked his followers Sunday. “There are tanks in the street, there are weapons, there is a conspiracy… None of that was done in Brazil,” he argued.

A week after Lula took office on January 1, 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the presidential palace, Congress, and Supreme Court, urging the military to overturn what they claimed was a stolen election.

Bolsonaro, who was in the United States at the time, denied any responsibility while investigators allege months of anti-democratic maneuvers to discredit Brazil’s electronic voting system with a “disinformation” campaign ahead of the elections to “legitimize a military intervention” if he lost.

The 68-year-old retired Army captain was himself wearing a national football team shirt and holding an Israeli flag in his right hand in support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to the October 7, 2023, attacks by the terrorist group Hamas.

Lula was critical of Hamas’ actions but dubbed Israel’s counteroffensive “a genocide,” which prompted a diplomatic rift between the two countries to the point that the current South American head of state was declared “persona non grata.”

Bolsonaro’s rally was perceived as a demonstration of political muscle given the barrage of legal charges against him for berating the electoral electronic system and reportedly accepting undue gifts in the form of jewels from Saudi Arabia or forging a Covid-19 vaccine certificate, among other cases. Many of his followers have been convicted after the January 8 events. For them, Bolsonaro requested a pardon.

At a regional level, Lula was backed by Presidents Gustavo Petro of Colombia and Luis Arce Catacora of Bolivia. Chile is also at a diplomatic standoff with Tel Aviv, while Bolsonaro stands on the opposite side of the political spectrum with his intention to move the Brazilian Embassy to Jerusalem following in on the footsteps of former President Donald Trump, whom Argentina’s Javier Milei also seeks to imitate.

“We can still do a lot for our country,” Bolsonaro told the crowds as he stood alongside former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro, São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, and Pastor Silas Malafaia, in addition to several lawmakers and other authorities.

The former head of state insisted he was being persecuted and his followers said “there may be riots” if he is incarcerated. Malafaia warned that, if the courts order Bolsonaro’s imprisonment, it would not be for the former president’s destruction, “but for theirs.”

Bolsonaro also stressed that “it cannot be accepted” that “opponents” be disqualified, which applies both to him and to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado in a phrase that implicitly likened Lula to Nicolás Maduro.

“We cannot accept that a power eliminates whoever it may be from the political scene unless it is for a fair reason. We cannot think about elections removing opponents,” he said.

“I seek pacification, to erase the past and find a way for us to live in peace,” he went on in line with previous calls on his followers on social networks to a “peaceful demonstration in defense of the democratic rule of law” to defend himself against “all accusations.”

Mercopress

According to experts and representatives of the Palestinian community in Brazil, this does not come as a result of one-off conflicts, nor is it a thing of the past. They draw attention to the existence of an apartheid regime in the region.

The tension between Israel and Palestine, which has been going on for over 70 years, involves politics, land, and religion, given that the area is sacred to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

In addition to refugee camps in the Middle East, Palestinians have migrated to various parts of the world, Brazil among them. An estimated 60 thousand Palestinian immigrants and refugees, including their descendants, live in the country, most of them in São Paulo, as per the Arab–Palestinian Federation of Brazil (Fepal).

Such is the case of Palestinian-Brazilian journalist Soraya Misleh, coordinator of the Front in Defense of the Palestinian People. She is the daughter of a survivor of the Nakba—an Arabic word that refers to the exodus of Palestinians from the areas that came to be Israel.

Her father was 13 when he left the village where he lived, along with some 800 thousand Palestinians expelled from their land.

“My father was a refugee who spent his whole life dreaming of returning, like so many others. As many as six million people live in refugee camps, not to mention thousands more in the Diaspora. He died five months ago, aged 88. He used to say, ‘sweetheart, if I step on my land and die, I’ll die a happy man,’” she recounted.

She was sad to say her father was never able to go back to Palestine. “He didn’t even have the right to set foot on his land and die happy. This is part of the Palestinian tragedy that’s still going on to this day. What we’re asking for is help,” she said.

Aline Baker’s grandfather on her mother’s side also fled Palestine in the late 50s, when he was about 20 years old. He came alone and could not speak Portuguese. With the help of his relatives, he started selling clothes door-to-door and began to learn the language. Then, he got married and settled permanently in Brazil.

Baker said her family still keeps in touch with relatives in Palestine, even after her grandfather’s death. “Contact between us was never interrupted. We kept writing each other back then. And he’d go back there from time to time to visit, taking my grandmother and my mother with him,” she said.

Regarding the war, Baker said that not a single citizen in Palestine has been free from the consequences of the conflict. “There isn’t a citizen who doesn’t have someone [in their family] who has been imprisoned or murdered, by either colonists or soldiers.”

Expulsion

International Law Professor João Amorim, from the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), argued that the continuous expulsion of Palestinians from their territory started even before the creation of the state of Israel, with the formation of Jewish militias, including those resisting the British Mandate for Palestine. With the Nakba, the process was aggravated, and the
forced migration happened at a large scale.

“Imagine being forced to leave your home immediately, with nothing but the clothes on your body, and flee to another country, on foot or by car, with what little you have. The feeling of banishment stays with refugees forever. They have been forced to leave the place where they have their history and their loved ones. The loss is immense. They didn’t want to be where they are or in the conditions they find themselves in,” Professor Amorim said, pointing out that Israel has plans to completely expel Arabs and Palestinians from the region.

The Israeli government argues it has the right and duty to defend itself against attacks, such as the one launched on October 7. The Israelis claim the Hamas group, which has controlled the Gaza Strip for more than a decade, plans to destroy the country, which has an obligation to protect its citizens.

When conflicts meet

Another reality facing refugees can be seen when they are forced to go to countries that are also experiencing conflicts, such as Syria. Unable to stay, they have to be relocated yet again.

Father Marcelo Maróstica Quadro, deputy director of Cáritas Arquidiocesana de São Paulo, an organization that provides shelter in Brazil, pointed out that some of the Palestinians in the country have been registered as Syrians, but are actually already displaced Palestinians.

“In Brazil, the number of Palestinians must be much higher, because of the underreporting. These are Palestinians who were in another country. It’s complex, because of issues linked to the recognition of the Palestinian state,” he declared.

Fepal head Ualid Rabah is the son of Palestinian refugees who came to Brazil in the 60s. “We were expelled from the [territory] that became Israel. In 78 percent of the land stolen from us, 88 percent of us have been expelled. We come from a land that’s under occupation—in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem,” he said.

Rabah fears that the scale of the violence in the current conflict might spell the extermination of his people. “We come from a region that stands on rubble and corpses, a region where 22 Palestinians die for every Israeli, a region under an apartheid regime currently experiencing this slaughter,” he declared.

An open-air prison

Professor Amorim noted that the Gaza Strip is considered by the UN to be the world’s largest open-air prison. Since the blockade imposed by Israel in 2007, the region has access to energy and water for a mere five hours a day, jobs are also limited, and residents cannot come and go as they please, he added.

Rabah said that the siege has even prevented Palestinians from leaving the conflict zone. “The process of making Gaza uninhabitable is aimed at removing the Palestinians from there little by little, so that the Palestinians no longer live on their land,” he said.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the Brazilian government has been working to remove Brazilians who are in Gaza. Around 30 Brazilians and their families are being assisted by the Brazilian representation in Ramallah, in the West Bank, and are awaiting the opening of the border with Egypt.

The situation is alarming because, despite the Embassy sending money, finding water and food is difficult. The Brazilian nationals and their relatives are staying in houses rented by the Brazilian government.

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Rear Admiral Flávio Macedo Brasil led the mission in 2015 when he oversaw nearly 1,000 service members from six countries: Brazil, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. FTM-UNIFIL is the only maritime UN peacekeeping mission.

In an interview, Rear Adm. Brasil said that being in command of a transnational troop was one of the mission’s biggest challenges.

“It was important to take cultural, religious, and operational aspects into account. The way in which the navies behave is very similar, but there are differences that must be respected,” he explained.

Rear Adm. Brasil also noted that the mission enabled other troops stationed in Lebanon to be exposed to naval culture. “We had a total contingent of 11,000 service members in Lebanon, considering both ground and naval peacekeeping forces,” he said.

FTM-UNIFIL’s main objective is to prevent conflict between Israel and Lebanon. In addition, the maritime force patrols Lebanon’s territorial waters and the surrounding area.

“Our job is to keep weapons, munitions, and related supplies from coming in by sea,” he said.

According to Rear Adm. Brasil, the procedure involved closely monitoring ships as they came and went. “They were all detected, interrogated, and, if necessary, troops boarded and inspected those ships,” he explained.

UNIFIL also trains the Lebanese Armed Forces so that in the future they can take charge of their own country’s security.

“The peacekeeping mission is temporary in nature and aimed at providing support in a crisis situation, while the country prepares and strengthens itself,” Rear Adm. Brasil explained.

But, according to him, training, supplies, and funding are required to achieve autonomy for protection and defense. “This is tough in Lebanon. They still need the UN’s support,” he stated.

Preparation for the Mission

“I studied a lot to take command of FTM-UNIFIL. Over the five months prior to my deployment, I read every UN document related to this type of mission, and sought to understand the scenario and local culture,” Rear Adm. Brasil revealed.

He felt that understanding the geopolitical and religious customs and context facilitated his work at UNIFIL. “We also took part in training exercises in Brazil, based on the experience of those who had been on the mission.

“During the course, we saw the difficulties experienced by previous contingents, and they enabled us to develop a sense of the challenges that we were going to face,” he recalled.

He explained that the Brazilian Navy’s personnel had undergone two types of training: one for the crew, and another for the Joint Staff, who is in charge of running the mission.

“The crew’s training is very specific to the operational and tactical tasks that will be undertaken there. The Joint Staff’s training also included studying the culture and language,” he added.

According to information from the Brazilian Ministry of Defense, the Navy’s service members participated in internships at special facilities in Rio de Janeiro.

The training takes place at the Brazilian Navy Fleet Command, the unit in charge of planning the naval and aerial operations of the Brazilian squadron, at the Almirante Sylvio de Carmargo Instruction Center, which trains marines, and at Brazil’s Joint Peacekeeping Operations Center, a unit of the Brazilian Army which specializes in training service members, police, and civilians from Brazil and from other friendly nations for peacekeeping missions.

The ship is prepared with the assistance of the Almirante Marques de Leão Training Center, a unit also headquartered in Rio de Janeiro.

For Rear Adm. Brasil, it was an honor to have commanded FTM-UNIFIL for a year. “The mission gives us a sense of usefulness as service members. The personal and professional gains are fantastic,” he emphasized.

He added that it is important for Brazil to contribute to UN peacekeeping missions. “We understand the importance that this type of operation has for peace in the Middle East, something that ends up affecting everyone,” he said.

Brazil in UNIFIL

Since March 15, the frigate União, with nearly 250 service members, has been the flagship of FTM-UNIFIL. This is the 13th Brazilian contingent.

Rear Admiral Sergio Fernando de Amaral Chaves Junior, commander of the operation, is in charge of an FTM composed of seven ships belonging to Germany, Bangladesh (2), Greece, Indonesia, and Turkey, in addition to the Brazilian frigate.

According to Commander Ricardo Barillo Cruz, operations coordinator of the Operational Employment Section of the Deputy Office for Peacekeeping Operations, nearly 3,000 Brazilian service members have participated in the mission in Lebanon.

Besides the frigate União’s crew, Brazil is represented by 13 service members on the FTM Joint Staff, three service members on the UNIFIL Joint Staff, and seven embedded with the Spanish Brigade.

According to Cdr Cruz, the troops are switched out at different times from the officers in the Joint Staff. “Every six months both the ship and noncommissioned officers are relieved. Whereas, officers in the Joint Staff are replaced once a year,” he explained.

“Brazil’s involvement in UNIFIL is important for our service members’ preparation and readiness to be deployed in real conflict situations,” Cdr. Cruz noted, adding that being in command of the UN’s only maritime force in the world enhances the country’s standing on the international stage.

Brazilian Defense Minister Raul Jungmann said in a press conference that Brazil might expand its participation in UNIFIL after its troops leave Haiti in October. Taking on another mission, however, will depend on an invitation from the UN and approval from Brazil’s National Congress.

Adriana Erthal Abdenur, an expert on international relations, told the EFE News Agency that the obvious destination for Brazilian troops would be to reinforce UNIFIL.

“Brazil has been leading FTM since 2011,” she said. However, she noted that for Brazil to take on new duties in Lebanon, other countries would have to leave the mission, which is highly prized and strategic for many countries, including those in Europe.

According to Rear Adm. Brasil, it would be great for the country to expand its participation in UN peacekeeping missions. He emphasized that opting for Lebanon will require operating differently from methods used in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

“I have no doubt that we’re capable but the conflict in Lebanon requires specific training and a lot of preparation,” he noted.

UNIFIL was founded in 1978 during the Lebanese Civil War, which also involved Palestinians and Israelis. In 2006, the UN peacekeeping mission was bolstered by FTM after Israel invaded southern Lebanon to combat Hezbollah.

After being led by Germany, and by a European group consisting of Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy, FTM-UNIFIL came under Brazilian command in 2011.

This articles appeared originally in Diálogo – https://dialogo-americas.com/

The two presidents talked on the telephone on Monday, August 11, about the recent developments in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

According to a press release issued by the Secretariat of Social Communication of Brazil’s Presidency, Rivlin said that the words used by Israel’s official “do not reflect the sentiment of the population of his country about Brazil.”

The spokesman’s remarks were given in July, as a response to the Brazil Foreign Ministry’s open criticism of the disproportionate use of force by Israel in the conflict in Gaza.

Rousseff reiterated Brazil’s historical stance of advocating coexistence between Israel and Palestine “as two sovereign, economically viable, and above all, safe states.”

Also according to the statement, Rousseff reaffirmed Brasília’s objection to attacks on Israel, just as well as their opposition to Israel’s “disproportionate use of force in Gaza, leading to the deaths of hundreds of civilians, especially women and children.”

Israel’s president said his country was defending itself from missile attacks on the territory. Rousseff, in turn, expressed hope that the ceasefire and the ongoing negotiations can lead to a final settlement of peace in the region.

Finally, Rousseff noted that the crisis over Gaza “cannot be an excuse for any expression of racism, whether towards Israelis or Palestinians.”

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Ever since the bombardment began three weeks ago, 1,030 Palestinians have died, among whom women and children. On Israel’s side, 42 deaths have been reported, all of them soldiers.

“I don’t think it’s genocide, but I do think it’s a massacre. It’s a disproportionate action,” the president said. She also regarded as deplorable the statement of Yigal Palmo, the spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

According to a Jerusalem newspaper, he referred to Brazil as a “diplomatic dwarf.” “I feel sorry for the spokesman’s words, as [they] bring about a very negative atmosphere. We should be careful with words,” she declared.

Rousseff spoke during a meeting organized by radio and television broadcasters of the Estado de S, Paulo group to learn the stance adopted by the current presidential candidates.

The president, however, denied the existence of a diplomatic crisis with Israel, and reiterated that Brazil was the first country to recognize the Jewish state. She further argued that Brazil supports the existence of both Israel and Palestine as states.

Rousseff praised the position of the UN Security Council, which issued a call for a humanitarian ceasefire in the area. “UN’s decision of demanding an immediate ceasefire is very welcome, since it’s a situation that must not continue,” she noted.

Against the President

Over a hundred people staged a demonstration this Wednesday, July 30, outside the building of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations in capital Brasília against the government’s opposition against the Israel’s “disproportionate use of force” in the Gaza Strip.

Protesters believe it was wrong that Brazil should condemn Israel without mentioning the Islamic resistance movement Hamas. Demonstrators, among whom members of evangelical churches and the Jewish community, also expressed criticism over Brazil’s decision to recall its ambassador in Tel Aviv for consultations.

The leaders of the demonstration were received by the Ministry’s Undersecretary for African and Middle Eastern Affairs, Ambassador Paulo Cordeiro, with whom they talked for about an hour. They handed to him a manifesto written out by members of the Christian Jewish communities.

According to demonstrator Kélita Rejanne Cunha, the undersecretary said that Brazil does not plan to break off its diplomatic relations with Israel.

Rejanne added, however, that the moment when the Brazilian ambassador is to return to Israel is not known. She also noted that Paulo Cordeiro also emphasized that Brazil does not endorse the actions of Hamas.

The protester further stated that Christians and the Jewish community will keep calling for a change in the stance adopted by the Brazilian government.

“We’ll keep saying Brazil needs to take a coherent position, one of balance, as a mediator. The current manner in which the country has conducted the situation will lead to no solution whatsoever,” she added.

Last week, Brazil’s Foreign Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo endorsed the position of the Brazilian government, which strongly “condemned the disproportionate use of force” by Israel in the Gaza Strip. Figueiredo further stated that the Ministry had already issued a note condemning Hamas for the rockets launched against Israel.

The chancellor also argued for measure taken by the UN Human Rights Council. Brazil voted to oppose Israel’s offensive, and to create an international commission in an effort to investigate violations and charge those accountable.

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“He [Yigal Palmor] is the assistant of the assistant of the assistant of the assistant of the assistant,” said Garcia, upon arriving for the installation of the National Committee for the Prevention and Fight against Torture (CNPCT), at the Presidential Palace, in Brazilian capital Brasília.

Former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, when still a candidate, in 2002, used the same terms to refer to Robert Zoellick, US former undersecretary of State. At the time, Lula said he would not negotiate with Zoellick a possible entry of Brazil in the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), but only with then-president George Bush.

The Israeli government criticized Brazil for recalling the Brazilian ambassador in Tel Aviv for consultations and releasing two statements deeming unacceptable the increasingly violent conflicts between Israel and Palestine. In the text put out on Wednesday, July 23, Brazil “strongly condemns the disproportionate use of force” by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Yigal Palmor, a spokesman of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, stated: “Israel expresses its disappointment in the decision of Brazil’s government to recall its ambassador for consultations. This decision does not reflect the level of relations between the countries and ignores Israel’s right to defend itself.

“Such steps do not contribute to promote calm and stability in the region. Rather, they provide tailwind to terrorism, and naturally affect Brazil’s capacity to wield influence,” the text reads.

Yigal Palmor further said that “Israel expects support from its friends in its struggle against Hamas, which is recognized as a terror organization by many countries around the world.” Israeli newspapers, however, have reported harsher criticism from the spokesman.

According to Jewish publication The Jerusalem Post, Palmor said that “This is an unfortunate demonstration of why Brazil, an economic and cultural giant, remains a diplomatic dwarf,” adding that “The moral relativism behind this move makes Brazil an irrelevant diplomatic partner, one who creates problems rather than contributes to solutions.”

In an interview with O Globo, Palmor also brought up Brazil’s crushing World Cup defeat against Germany.

“Israel’s response is perfectly proportioned in accordance with international law. This is not football. In football, when a game ends in a draw, and when you think proportion is 7-1 is disproportionate. Sorry to say, but not so in real life and under international law.”

In a note published Wednesday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry also reiterated its call for an “immediate cease fire” between the two parties.

Brazil’s ministry, in turn, explained that, given the gravity of the situation, the institution voted for the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which condemns the current military offensive in the Gaza Strip and creates an international commission to investigate all violations and charge those accountable for them.

The Israeli Confederation of Brazil also responded to the issue through a statement, in an effort to “manifest its outrage at the note issued by our Foreign Ministry, in which the unilateral approach over the conflict in the Gaza Strip is made clear as it criticizes Israel and ignores the doings of terrorist group Hamas.”

“A note like the one released on Wednesday can only serve to increase the mistrust with which important sectors of Israeli society, from many political and ideological fields, view Brazil’s external policy,” stated the institution, which went on to say that it shares the concern felt by the Brazilian people, and expresses “profound grief over the deaths on both sides of the conflict,” in addition to expect an immediate cease fire as well.

In a previous note, released on July 17, the Brazilian government stated that it “likewise condemns the launch of Gaza rockets and mortar shells against Israel.” Brazil and Germany are the only countries that maintain diplomatic relations with all member nations of the UN.

It was one of the 29 countries to vote for the resolution of the UN Human Rights Council. There were 17 abstentions, and the US’s was the sole opposing vote. Apart from Japan, all European countries present, among which France, the UK and Germany, chose to abstain.

Brazil’s Foreign Relations Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo supported the position adopted by the Brazilian government, which released a note strongly condemning “the disproportionate use of force” by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

“We condemn the disproportionateness in Israel’s reaction, with the death of approximately 700 people, of whom around 70% are civilians, among whom many women, children and elders. Indeed, it is not acceptable that an attack should raise the number of dead children, women and civilians so considerably” the minister declared. “That is the fact this new statement refers to,” Figueiredo pointed out.

The minister also highlighted that, last week, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry had already released a note opposing Islamic movement Hamas for the rockets launched against Israel, and also the latter, for attacking the Gaza Strip. “Israel complains that, in the previous note, we did not express opposition, as we had done before. Our opposition still holds true; we strongly oppose Hamas’s launching rockets against Israel. This is still true. There’s no doubt. There can’t be any doubts about that,” Figueiredo added.

While speaking to journalists in São Paulo after an event, Figueiredo responded to the statement made by Yigal Palmor, a spokesman of Israel’s Foreign Relations Ministry. According to newspaperThe Jerusalem Post, he described Brazil as a “diplomatic dwarf”, in spite of the Latin American country’s economic and cultural position. “What I read is that Brazil is a cultural and economic giant, and also a diplomatic dwarf. I must say that Brazil is one of the few countries—one of the 11 countries in the world—to have diplomatic relations with all UN member countries. And we have a history of cooperation for peace and actions for international peace. If there’s a diplomatic dwarf, Brazil’s definitely not one of them,” the chancellor responded.

Figueiredo believes, however, that Palmor’s statements should not damage the friendly relations between the two nations. “Countries have the right to disagree. And we’re using our right to show Israel that we find the death of women and children unacceptable, but we do not question Israel’s right to defend itself. We’ve never questioned that. What we question is the disproportionateness of things,” he pointed out.

The Brazilian chancellor also argued for the position adopted by Brazil in the United Nations Human Rights Council. Brazil voted to condemn Israel’s current military offensive in the Gaza Strip and to assemble an international commission aimed at investigating all violations and charging all those accountable for them.

“The majority have offered their support, including the whole of Latin America. As our Latin American neighbors, we have also supported, in this case, an independent international investigation to ascertain what happened, what’s going on. I find it reasonable that an independent international investigation should take place, and it was on behalf of that that we have made our statement,” he concluded.

Brazilian Journalist’s Opinion

The number of dead Palestinians after the latest conflict in the Gaza Strip in the high hundreds, and, in spite of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s appeal for peace in the region, the solution does not seem to be simple, or near.

In the view of Guila Flint, a Brazilian journalist who lives in Tel Aviv and has worked in the coverage of the Middle East for 20 years, the scenario tends to aggravate before peace is restored by Palestinians and Israelis.

“I think the matter is yet to worsen considerably before a solution is found. The current chapter may end soon – in the next few days – but that does not make it impossible that, in a year or six months from now, a new outbreak takes place, a new, bloody chapter,” she said.

She believes Israel’s First Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest statements contribute to the hostilities. “It’s a conflict of very difficult solution because clearly the Israeli government is not willing to give up the territories occupied. [This] totally contradicts the alleged two-State view that Benjamin Netanyahu said he held.”

However, she argues, there are elements that could force both sides to cease fire. She mentioned the isolation of Hamas, the Islamic group controlling the Gaza Strip.

“Hamas is no longer supported by Egypt, with which they enjoyed friendly relations during the administration of Mohamed Morsi, overthrown in 2013. Furthermore, the pressure from the international community for the cease fire, and the considerable firepower discrepancy between Israelis and Palestinians, who are at a great disadvantage in this respect, should contribute to the end of the current conflicts.”

Flint further noted, however, that there is little hope to be found among young people, and not just Palestinians: “Thousands and thousands of Israeli youths are leaving the country. We see today the best of Israel’s youth, the most cultivated youths, the most successful, the best professionals – all leaving the country for Berlin, London, and New York. They no longer believe in their own country.”

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The results of the forum were discussed by the Brazilian Foreign minister Antonio Patriota and the Fatah’s commissioner for International Relations, Nabil Shaath, who met in Brasília over the weekend.

“As part of our action plan, we are preparing a mission from Brazilian social movements, a solidarity committee to visit Palestine next year,” said Alessandra Ceregatti, a member of the Free Palestine WSF’s Brazilian secretariat.

According to her, the plan is to pay the visit in March, to help with the harvest of olives in Palestine.

Ceregatti also says the social movements will work hard for the boycott in Brazilian military purchases, of arms and technology, coming from Israel.

According to the activist, the movements involved in the forum want to set a new date for support to Palestinians.

“We want to establish the Common Day of Global Action, which could be on March 30th, which is Palestinian Land Day; or April 17, which is Political Prisoners’ Day,” she explained. November 29 is already the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Emir Mourad, the secretary general of the Arab Palestinian Federation in Brazil (Fepal), one of the forum’s organizers, believes the event was very successful, and claims a new edition will be discussed.

“The forum was a success. We are thankful to the Brazilian federal government, to president Dilma (Rousseff) for her pro-State of Palestine stance, and to the hosting of this forum. The result was positive and ended with the symbolism of the (opening) march, which coincided with the UN vote, at which 138 recognized the State of Palestine as an UN observer country,” he said.

The recognition of Palestine as a UN non-member observer state was also discussed by Patriota and Shaath, the latter of whom was sent to Brazil as a representative of the president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Mahmoud Abbas, at the forum in Porto Alegre.

According to a statement released by the Brazilian foreign ministry (Itamaraty), minister Patriota expressed the Brazilian government’s satisfaction with the outcome of the vote. At the meeting, the two also analyzed the current scenario in Palestine, and the future outlook for the region.

Anba

In the release Mercosur leaders expressed their “strongest condemnation of the violence unleashed between Israel and Palestine” and “deeply regret the loss of lives and expresses its concern with the disproportionate use of force” said the text.

They call on both sides “for an immediate end to violence and to the UN Security Council to fully assume its responsibilities. The path for overcoming the current crisis is through diplomacy and dialogue,” continues the text.

Mercosur members, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela and Paraguay (suspended) recognized the State of Palestine and last December signed a free trade agreement with the Palestinian Authority. Mercosur signed a similar agreement with Israel in 2007.

The South American block also expressed “its support to the request from the State of Palestine to obtain status of UN Observer member”.

The intense air bombardments by Israel on Gaza on Saturday killed at least ten people and destroyed the headquarters of the Hamas government.

Since the launching by Israel last Wednesday of the military operation “Defense Pillar” 73 people have been killed (70 Palestinians and 3 Israelis) and another 700, mostly Palestinians have been injured.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will be visiting the region in coming days to try and convince Israelis and Palestinians to agree on a cease fire and truce.

Meantime the US and EU called for de-escalation of hostilities and have said to understand Israel’s reaction and blame Hamas for the current conflict.

President Barack Obama personally urged leaders in Turkey and Egypt to engage with Hamas over a “de-escalation” of hostilities in Gaza, while continuing to support Israeli strikes despite mounting Palestinian civilian casualties.

Speaking on board Air Force One en route to Asia, White House national security adviser Ben Rhodes blamed Hamas for the current round of violence, stating that the “precipitating factor” for Israeli air strikes was rockets fired into civilian territories from Gaza.

Meanwhile from Brussels it was announced that EU ministers of foreign affairs will discuss the situation and the escalating tension in the Middle East.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton had previously condemned the latest violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza that has led to civilian deaths on both sides, and pinned the blame for the crisis on Hamas.

Ms Catherine Ashton said she was “deeply concerned at the escalating violence” and deplored the loss of civilian life.

“The rocket attacks by Hamas and other factions in Gaza which began this current crisis are totally unacceptable for any government and must stop,” Ashton said in a statement.

“Israel has the right to protect its population from these kinds of attacks.” But she urged Israel to be “proportionate” in its response.

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“We do not look favorably upon this line of conduct,” said Philip Crowley, spokesman for the US Department of State. “We believe that any unilateral action is counterproductive.”

Argentina recognized an independent Palestine state on Monday and Brazil made similar declarations on Friday, referring to the frontiers from 1967, before Israeli occupation. This includes all Palestine territory: The Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.

Uruguay announced its decision to follow suit with an announcement in 2011. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay are founding and full members of Mercosur, the South American trade block.

Israel rejected the initiative, saying that they contradicted peace talks and Israeli-Palestinian agreements (Oslo, 1993).

If the negotiations between Israel and Palestine remain on hold, the Palestinians will look to petition for recognition from Washington of the Palestinian state with the 1967 outlined frontiers, taking that demand to the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Earlier in the day, Israeli Foreign Ministry officials expressed outrage at Argentina’s announcement that it recognizes a Palestinian state within the pre-1967 war borders, saying it is counterproductive to the Middle East peace process.

Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman on Monday quoted a letter written by President Cristina Fernandez to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, in which she informed him of her government’s decision to recognize Palestine as “a free and independent state” within the 1967 borders.

The decision is based on a “deep desire to see an advance in the negotiation process (between Israel and the Palestinians) leading to the establishment of a just peace in the Middle East” said Timerman.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor described Argentina’s announcement as “highly damaging and regrettable,” saying it “shattered the foundation of the peace process,” according to the Ha’aretz newspaper.

The Israeli official said the recognition stampede while peace negotiations are ongoing is “contrary to the existing legal framework of the peace process,” adding that it will not change the existing situation or promote reconciliation between the feuding parties.

Another Foreign Ministry official on Tuesday noted the declarations “constitute a breach of an intermediate agreement signed by Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in 1995, which determines that the status of the West Bank can only be determined through negotiations.”

Brazil

Brazil recognized on Friday the state of Palestine based on borders before Israel seized control of the West Bank in 1967. The Brazilian Foreign ministry said the recognition was in response to a request made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva earlier this year.
 
The decision is in line with Brazil’s historic support for United Nations resolutions demanding the end of Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, and doesn’t detract from the country’s support for peace negotiations between the two sides, the ministry said in a statement.

“Considering that the demand presented by his Excellency (Abbas) is just and consistent with the principles upheld by Brazil with regard to the Palestinian issue, Brazil, through this letter, recognizes a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders,” it said.

The letter refers to the “legitimate aspiration of the Palestinian people for a secure, united, democratic and economically viable state coexisting peacefully with Israel.”

The international community backs Palestinian demands for a state in most of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, all territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War.

The letter says that over one hundred countries have recognized the Palestinian State, among them all of the Arab countries and most of the African, Asian and Eastern European ones. Countries that maintain fluid relations with Israel – such as Russia, China, South Africa and India, among others – have recognized the Palestinian State. All of Brazil’s partners both in IBSA and BRIC have recognized Palestine.

However the United States and most Western governments have held back from recognizing a Palestinian state, saying it should be brought about through a negotiated peace agreement with Israel.

Abbas visited Brazil in 2005 and 2009, and Lula made the first ever trip by a Brazilian head of state to Israel and the Palestinian territories in March of this year.

In a parallel statement, the government assured relations with Israel “have never been more robust”.

“The ties between both countries have been strengthened throughout the years, simultaneously and without harm to the initiatives to establish closer ties with the Arab and Muslim world”, says the statement

Trade and investment flows with Israel have repeatedly reached historical records. The Free Trade Agreement between Mercosur and Israel, in force since April, was the first done between the regional bloc and an extra-regional country.

In March, president Lula made the first visit of a Brazilian Head of State to the State of Israel, in retribution to the visit made by Israeli President Shimon Peres to Brazil in 2009, the first of a Head of State from that country in over 40 years.

Argentina

Argentinean president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s administration announced via Foreign Minister Hector Timerman that Argentina recognizes Palestine as “a free and independent state, within the frontiers in existence since 1967.”
 
The recognition was made through a personal letter from the Argentine head of state to the president of the Palestine Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, revealed Timmerman. Apparently the official request was made during the Palestine president’s visit to Argentina last year.

“The Argentine government shares with its Mercosur associates, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay that the moment has come to recognize Palestine as a free and independent state,” underlined Timmerman.

Palestine Ambassador to Argentina Walid Muaqqat celebrated the decision made by the Argentina government and said that the announcement “gives a strong push to the ongoing negotiations.”

“We highly value the Argentine decision to recognize the State of Palestine with its borders 4 June 1967 and East Jerusalem as its capital, because this position places the two sides involved in the conflict in equal terms”, said Ambassador Muaggat.

He added that the Argentine government’s decision is a “non-violent reaction that the international community should emulate in response to the expansion and continuous illegal construction of Israeli settlements on Palestine territory that endangers the possibility of finding a solution” on behalf of both sides.

The Argentine Foreign Affairs ministry said that recognition is in the framework of the country’s traditional position to defend “the right of the Palestine people to constitute an independent State, within secure, internationally recognized borders”.

The release adds that Argentina joins over a hundred other states that have recognized the State of Palestine and is evidence of the international community’s growing consensus regarding the status of Palestine, “as well as the overall willingness that decisive advances in the peace process can be achieved.”
Israeli ambassador in Buenos Aires Daniel Gazit said that “the Argentine recognition of Palestine as an independent state will not affect the “very good relations” between Argentina and Israel, and the Jewish state hopes that the decision will help speed up the peace process”.

“The declaration doesn’t affect our relations whatsoever. The bilateral relations between Argentina and Israel are very good. We are also looking for positive relations with the Palestinians,” said Gazit.

“It is also our wish that there be a free and independent Palestine state that can exist alongside and in peace with Israel,” he said.

From Montevideo, Uruguayan Deputy Foreign Affairs minister Roberto Conde said that the formal recognition of Palestine will take place in coming weeks and advanced that Uruguay has plans to open an embassy in Ramallah.

In 1967, following the Six Days war, Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem (which was later annexed) and the Gaza Strip, all of which are territories that the Palestinians are claiming for their state. Israel withdrew itself from Gaza in 2005, but retains control of a large part of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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