Meeting is a tribute offered to the president by Arab ambassadors from Muslim countries
The president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) participated in a dinner this Thursday (8.Feb.2024) at the Palestinian embassy, in Brasília. The event was a tribute offered to the head of the Executive by the Palestinian ambassador, Ibrahim Alzeben, on behalf of the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil and the Ambassadors of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
According to Secom (Secretariat of Social Communication), the meeting was scheduled for 6:30 pm, but Lula arrived at the diplomatic representation at 6:50 pm. The dinner was not included in the president's official schedule.
Secom did not provide a list of all foreign representatives participating in the meeting, but representatives from countries in South America, Africa and the Middle East were present.
Also present were the vice president Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), the Finance Ministers, Fernando Haddadof Foreign Relations, Mauro Vieira, and of Justice, Ricardo Lewandowski, the special advisor to the Presidency, Celso Amorim, and the minister of the Secretariat of Social Communication, Paulo Pimenta.
Upon arriving, Lula planted an olive tree in the embassy garden. “You are planting hope for the Palestinian people and for the world, God willing”Alzeben told the Brazilian president.
Lula's visit to the Palestinian embassy comes at a time when Brazil supported South Africa's initiative to call the UN International Court of Justice (United Nations) to investigate “acts and measures that may constitute genocide or related crimes” and order Israel's immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The decision was criticized by the Israeli embassy in Brasília, which said “categorically reject” The “defamation” from the African country and denied accusations that he intended to kill Palestinians.
“Israel is committed to and operates in accordance with international law and directs its military operations in Gaza exclusively against Hamas and other terrorist organizations.”said the diplomatic representation in a note.
Lula is expected to meet with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 17 or 18. The head of the Brazilian Executive will be in the African country to participate, as a guest, in the African Union Summit.
Before that, the president will visit Egypt on February 14th and 15th. The conflict is expected to be one of the main topics of discussion with Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Khalil Al-Sisi.
The African country is an important interlocutor because, besides Israel, it is the only one that borders Gaza. Currently, the only crossing that allows Palestinians to leave is Rafah, which borders Egypt.
This Thursday, the government also created a working group to evaluate the possibility of granting a humanitarian visa to Palestinians who have no ties to Brazil and who wish to leave the Gaza Strip. It will be composed of Itamaraty, Justice and Social Development.
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