MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula condemns Israel's killings in Gaza

During Lula's stay in Cairo, the governments of Brazil and Egypt signed two bilateral agreements

During his stop in Egypt as part of his new African tour, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that the killings in Gaza were unjustifiable and denounced the United Nations' inability to solve armed conflicts as Israel's offensive against the terrorist group Hamas failed to comply with any of the global organization's decisions.

“The UN Security Council can do nothing about the situation in Israel and Gaza. The only thing that can be done is to ask for peace before the media, but it seems to me that Israel's premise is not to comply with any decision taken by the United Nations,” Lula said in Cairo, during a statement after meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdelfatah Al Sisi.

The Brazilian president paid a two-day visit to Egypt, after which he went to Ethiopia for the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa. Both Egypt and Ethiopia joined the BRICS group of emerging countries on Jan. 1.

Lula ratified Brazil's decision to support South Africa in the genocide complaint against Israel before the International Court of Justice. “Brazil was a country that strongly condemned Hamas in the attack on Israel and the kidnapping of hundreds of people. And we condemned them and qualified the act as a terrorist act. But there is no explanation for Israel's behavior, under the pretext of defeating Hamas, killing women and children, something that has never been seen in any war that I know of,” Lula argued while calling on his Egyptian colleague to support Brazil's initiative to reform multilateral institutions such as the UN Security Council.

“It is urgent to establish a definitive ceasefire that allows for the delivery of sustainable and unimpeded humanitarian aid and the immediate and unconditional release of hostages. Brazil strictly opposes attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinian people. There will be no peace without a Palestinian state, living side by side with Israel, within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders,” Lula insisted.

The South American leader also thanked President Al Sisi for Egypt's diplomatic work for the liberation of Brazilian civilians from Gaza in the face of the Israeli invasion and proposed to elevate bilateral relations, which will be 100 years old in 2024, to the level of Strategic Partnership. During Lula's stay in Cairo, the governments of Brazil and Egypt signed two bilateral agreements to facilitate meat exports and expand cooperation in science and technology.

“Our relationship has to be really strong, really big, and involve all possible activities—from agriculture to defense, from the economy to science and technology, from our joint relationship to trying to democratize the functioning of the United Nations, and also in the field of education, in the field of culture,” Lula said.

“We are two large developing countries committed to promoting economic and social development as pillars for peace and security. We combat all manifestations of racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism. Brazil has once again supported the Egyptian initiative to create an arms-free zone in the Middle East, similar to what exists in Latin America,” President Lula pointed out.

“In the BRICS we will work together to reform the global order and build peace, especially at a time when protectionist pressures and conflicts that penalize the poorest countries are re-emerging. We will work to create a common unit of value in BRICS trade and investment transactions as a way to circumvent global dependence on a single currency,” Lula also promised.

After fulfilling an engagement at the headquarters of the League of Arab States (LEA) on Thursday to discuss the crisis in Syria and the situation in the Middle East, Lula flew to Addis Ababa.

The LEA, founded in 1945, brings together Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, Qatar, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, and Tunisia.

Lula will stay in the Ethiopian capital until Feb. 18 to expand partnerships through a common pro-Global South agenda, in addition to participating in the event “Climate finance for agriculture and food security: implementation of the Nairobi Declaration and results of COP28”. The Nairobi Declaration was the final document signed during the 2023 African Climate Summit in the Kenyan capital, in which African leaders pledged to invest US$ 30 billion a year by 2030 to bridge the financing gap for water security.

“With this in perspective, at this Friday's meeting, the leaders will discuss and make a call for action on financial avenues, as well as political interventions, innovation, and knowledge to improve climate resilience and adaptation in agricultural and food systems in Africa,” the Planalto Palace said in an official statement.