Cairo/Prensa Latina
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called here Thursday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of prisoners and the holding of political negotiations leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
In a speech before the Council of the Arab League, based in this capital, the president reaffirmed his country’s support for the Palestinian cause and pointed out the importance of working to find a solution through peaceful means and through the United Nations, detailed a statement from that regional organization.
Lula also criticized Israel’s response to the attack suffered on October 7, pointing out that the offensive against Gaza is disproportionate to the destruction and high number of victims caused.
Likewise, he considered dangerous the decision of several countries to suspend financing to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Middle East (Unwra).
The organization is under fire after the accusation by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government against 12 of its 13,000 employees for allegedly participating in the operation of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 7.
Both the agency and the UN announced an immediate investigation, but numerous Western countries, including the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, suspended their funding, although the allegations have not yet been proven.
During his speech, Lula also highlighted the links between Latin America and the Arab region.
Our arrival here reflects Brazil’s desire to reestablish dialogue with the area, added the president, who recalled that he previously visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to improve cooperation in trade, culture, technology and other fields.
Shortly before, during a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the ruler stated that the multilateral institutions that were created to settle conflicts and seek peace do not work.
The Security Council should include countries from Africa and Latin America, in addition to eliminating the veto power that is misused by some nations, Lula said.
Likewise, he denounced Israel’s continued violations of Council resolutions on the Palestinian issue.
“Israel’s behavior has no explanation: under the pretext of fighting Hamas, it is killing women and children,” he warned.
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