Representatives of the Brics group (made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) urged this Tuesday to “guarantee a humanitarian truce” and promote an “international peace conference” to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamasby holding an extraordinary virtual summit in which the the new escalation of violence in the Middle East.
“We have reiterated our firm support for regional and international efforts aimed at achieving an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid,” states the minutes of the virtual meeting that was released by the South African presidency, in charge of organizing the appointment.
I thank the president @CyrilRamaphosa for the initiative to call the extraordinary BRICS meeting to deal with the emergency situation in Gaza. Since the beginning of the current conflict between Israel and Palestine, I have had the opportunity to talk bilaterally with practically everyone…
— Lula (@LulaOficial) November 21, 2023
“Brazil strongly condemned the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7 against the Israeli people. Three Brazilians were victims of these attacks. On several occasions we reiterate the call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. However, these barbaric acts do not justify the use of indiscriminate and disproportionate force against civilians,” he said in his speech. the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
“We cannot forget that the current war is also the result of decades of frustration and injustice, represented by the absence of a safe home for the Palestinian people,” said Lula da Silva.
“We are facing a humanitarian catastrophe. The innocent pay the price for the madness of war, especially women, children and the elderly,” he added and reviewed the efforts of his country, at the head of the United Nations Security Council, to stop the escalation.
“At the moment, The challenge is to ensure that the humanitarian truce is implemented immediately. Once again, the credibility of the United Nations is at stake,” he commented and called for “act to prevent the war from spreading to neighboring countries.”
“We cannot forget that the current war is also the result of decades of frustration and injustice, represented by the absence of a safe home for the Palestinian people,” he said, giving his support to the two-state solution.
For its part, the bowed president, Xi Jinping, urged an immediate ceasefire and “release civilian detainees” in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“There can be no lasting peace and security in the Middle East without a just solution to the Palestinian question,” declared Xi Jinping.
“All parties to the conflict should immediately cease fire and hostilities, end all violence and attacks against civilians, and release civilian detainees to avoid further loss of human life and further suffering,” Xi said, according to statements released by the state agency Xinhua.
The Chinese leader also proposed organizing an “international peace conference” as soon as possible to try to resolve the conflict. “There can be no lasting peace and security in the Middle East without a just solution to the Palestinian question,” Xi declared.
While, Russian President Vladimir Putin He stressed the “deep concern” about the “humanitarian catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip.
“The death of thousands of people, the mass expulsions of the civilian population and the humanitarian catastrophe (in the Gaza Strip) are cause for deep concern,” the president said in statements reproduced by the Sputnik news agency.
The events in the Middle East “are a direct consequence of the desire of the United States to monopolize mediation functions in the Palestinian-Israeli settlement,” Putin said.
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The Russian leader emphasized the importance of humanitarian pauses in the conflict zone and explained that “they are necessary to continue efforts to free hostages and evacuate civilians and foreign citizens” from the Palestinian enclave.
In his opinion, the events in the Middle East “are a direct consequence of the United States’ desire to monopolize mediation functions in the Palestinian-Israeli settlement.”
One of the toughest was the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosawho accused Israel of “war crimes” and “genocide” in Gaza, in his statements cited by the AFP news agency.
“Israel’s collective punishment of Palestinian civilians through the illegal use of force is a war crime,” said South African President Ramaphosa.
“The deliberate refusal to provide medicine, fuel, food and water to the people of Gaza amounts to genocide,” he added.
Ramaphosa called for an “immediate and total” ceasefire and called for the deployment of a rapid UN force to “monitor the cessation of hostilities and protect civilians.”
As South Africans, we appreciate the importance and value of international solidarity. As an important voice of the Global South representing a large part of humanity, we believe that BRICS has a vital role in a widespread international effort to achieve a just and lasting peace.… pic.twitter.com/zhpxYZGDIR
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) November 21, 2023
The new members
The leaders of the six new member countries also participated in the summit (Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates), who must join the group starting in January.
In that sense, during the summit, Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero emphasized: “We demand Hamas’s immediate release (of the hostages), and we demand that this release be unconditional.
“For this, and for the arrival of international humanitarian aid to Gaza to be possible, a truce is necessary and urgent. A ceasefire,” he added.
The post first appeared on www.telam.com.ar