MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Middle East: Lula favors two-state solution

Lula wants the restoration of the 1967 borders

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke in favor of the coexistence of Palestine and Israel during his speech on Monday at the second session of the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Resolution of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution convened by France and Saudi Arabia.

At the event ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, starting on Tuesday, Lula argued that “what is happening in Gaza is not only the extermination of the Palestinian people, but an attempt to annihilate their dream of a nation. Both Israel and Palestine have the right to exist.”

According to the Brazilian government, peace, security, and stability in the Middle East require the implementation of an independent and viable State of Palestine, coexisting side by side with the State of Israel, within the 1967 borders, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

In his speech, Lula also stressed that the Palestinian issue arose 78 years ago, when the UN General Assembly adopted the Partition Plan, giving rise to the prospect of two states. However, only one materialized, that of Israel.

“The conflict between Israel and Palestine is a major symbol of the obstacles faced by multilateralism. It shows how the tyranny of the veto sabotages the very raison d'être of the UN, which is to prevent atrocities such as those that motivated its foundation from being repeated,” he said.

The Brazilian president pointed out that his country supported the creation of a body inspired by the Special Committee against Apartheid, which played a key role in ending the regime of racial segregation in South Africa. “Ensuring Palestine's right to self-determination is an act of justice and an essential step toward restoring the strength of multilateralism and regaining our collective sense of humanity,” he noted.

Lula also emphasized that Brazil strongly condemned the acts perpetrated by the terrorist organization Hamas, but claimed, however, that the right to self-defense did not authorize the indiscriminate killing of civilians. “Nothing justifies taking the lives or maiming more than 50,000 children, destroying 90% of Palestinian homes, and using hunger as a weapon of war, nor targeting hungry people seeking help,” he said.

On Tuesday, Lula is due to deliver the traditional speech at the General Assembly's opening session. In addition to outlining Brazil's foreign policy priorities, he will participate in meetings on the Palestinian issue and the climate crisis in preparation for the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), to take place in the Amazon city of Belém in November.

President Lula will also participate in the second edition of the In Defense of Democracy and Against Extremism event on Sept. 24, an initiative led by Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to promote international cooperation against institutional deterioration, misinformation, hate speech, and social inequality. The first such meeting took place in Chile in July this year.

Lula is also participating in an event organized by Brazil in New York to garner support for the creation of the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF), to be launched in the city of Belém at COP30, to raise funds for the preservation of these forests.

Also part of President Lula’s engagements is the meeting organized by the Global Center on Adaptation, led by former Senegalese President Macky Sall, to discuss mechanisms for adapting to climate change. (Source: Agencia Brasil)