Brazil–Palestine relations

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brazil–Palestine relations
Map indicating locations of Brazil and State of Palestine

Brazil
Palestine

Brazil–Palestine relations refers to the current and historical bilateral relationship between Brazil and Palestine. Brazil officially recognized the Palestinian state on December 5, 2010. However, Brazil has not established full diplomatic ties with the Palestinians. As of March 2015, Brazil has not upgraded its Representative Office in Ramallah to a diplomatic mission,[1][2] keeping its diplomatic ties with Palestine to the pre-recognition stance.

Palestinian statehood[]

Brazil has firmly stressed its support for a Palestinian state within the borders of 1967, having Jerusalem as its capital.[3] The Brazilian Government has also advocated the end of the blockade of the Gaza Strip.[3] On 5 December 2010, it formally recognized the State of Palestine in the 1967 borders, including all of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.[4] The move initiated a chain reaction through the region. Given Brazil's economic prominence, its South American neighbors likely saw low political risks in following Brasília’s lead.[5] In her address to the General Assembly, President Dilma Rousseff reiterated her country's firm support: "We believe the time has come for us to have Palestine fully represented as a full member in this forum."[6] Brazil voted in favor of Palestine's admission as a full member of UNESCO and has announced it will support Palestine's full membership application when it comes to a vote at the Security Council.[7][8]

However, Brazil has not established full diplomatic ties with the Palestinians. As of March 2015, Brazil has not upgraded its Representative Office in Ramallah to a diplomatic mission,[1][2] keeping its diplomatic ties with Palestine to the pre-recognition stance. Such offices assume some of the non-diplomatic functions of diplomatic posts, such as promoting trade interests. They are nevertheless not diplomatic missions, their personnel are not diplomats and do not have diplomatic visas.

Following the 2018 Brazilian presidential election, President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, a staunch pro-Israel individual, stated that he would close the Palestinian embassy, and stated that Palestine 'is not a country.'[9]

In March 2019, Palestinians officials condemned Brazil’s opening of commercial office in Jerusalem because Palestinian officials consider Jerusalem as an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories. [10] Palestinians also condemned the visit of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to Jerusalem’s Western Wall accompanied by Israel’s prime minister in 2019.[11]

Brazil has recently voted against Palestine, meaning a clear worsening of Brazil-Palestine relations. In February 2020, Brazil asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to stop its investigation into Israel for war crimes committed against the Palestinian people. In November 2020, Brazil voted against the approval of a resolution at the World Health Organisation (WHO) to guarantee access to healthcare services for the Palestinian population residing in the occupied territories.[12]


See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b [1] Ministry of External Relations. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  2. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2014-07-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Câmara de Comércio Árabe-Brasileira. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  3. ^ a b Brazil and the Middle East Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine The Cairo Review of Global Affairs. Retrieved on 2011-11-01.
  4. ^ Brazil recognises Palestine Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  5. ^ Latin America and Palestine: Watershed or Worthless? Americas Quarterly. Retrieved on 2011-11-01.
  6. ^ O'Reilly, Andrew; Planas, Roque (21 September 2011). "First Woman To Open UNGA Debate". Latin America News Dispatch. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
  7. ^ Diplomat: Palestinians pushing for Security Council vote on UN membership bid Nov. 11[dead link] The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2011-11-01.
  8. ^ Brazil Hails Palestine's UNESCO Entry Xinhua. Retrieved on 2011-11-01.
  9. ^ Gilban, Marcus M., et al. Brazil Presidential Front-Runner Vows to Close Palestinian Embassy The Times of Israel
  10. ^ "Palestinians condemn Brazil's opening of commercial office in occupied Jerusalem". 31 March 2019.
  11. ^ Reuters
  12. ^ "Brazil votes against Palestine at WHO assembly, Palestinian ambassador to Brazil: 'This is contrary to what Brazil believes'". 14 November 2020.
Retrieved from ""