Address by Minister Mauro Vieira at the UN Security Council on the situation in Palestine — New York, April 18, 2024

Mister President,

Distinguished representatives,

I thank the Secretary-General for his detailed briefing on the situation in Gaza, which remains deeply unsettling.

As we convene once again to address the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we must confront the escalating violence in Gaza and beyond, as well as the humanitarian catastrophe that continues to unfold unabated in the Gaza Strip.

We must heed the call by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and refuse to remain indifferent in the face of human tragedy. Such suffering can never be accepted as normal.

Mister President,

A widespread, catastrophic regional war in the Middle East is in no one’s interest.

As the world witnessed in disquiet the concrete possibility of the spillover of the conflict to the Middle East over the weekend, many horrifying thoughts crossed our minds: the potential destruction of various countries in the region, the deaths of thousands more innocent lives, and the social and economic consequences of the intensification of hostilities to the whole world.

In the past six months, this agony is recurring.

We watched in disbelief the assault of 7 October that claimed the lives of many innocent people in Israel. We still mourn the loss of our duo-nationals that fell victim to the terrorist attacks. And we still worry for those ones, including a Brazilian national, held hostage by Hamas.

Since then, we have also been watching in great distress the unprecedented level of destruction of almost the entire region of Gaza in a very short period of time, from schools to hospitals, from mosques and churches to cemeteries, from shelters facilities to aid convoys.

We have been dismayed by the assessment of the Food and Agriculture Organization that the level of food insecurity to which the population in Gaza is subjected is the highest that the entity has recorded for any area or country in the world.

We have been registering an obnoxious and disproportionate number of civilian casualties in Gaza, which today adds up to more than 33,000 people, including 14,500 children.

We have watched disheartened the fate of 2.2 million people displaced, amid the collapse of essential services, including health services, and the complete destruction of crucial infrastructure.

We have witnessed the unjustifiable killing of UN staff, media professionals, and humanitarian workers.

In sum, we have watched with indignation the frequent assault to the basic principles of international law in various countries in the region.

Mister President,

This Security Council has a moral and legal obligation to stop this bloodshed and prevent the Middle East to plunge into widespread social unrest, political instability, and a war with unpredictable consequences for the world.

The key word here is: de-escalation.

Mister President,

A credible commitment to de-escalation requires the immediate end of hostilities in Gaza, the unconditional release of hostages, sustainable humanitarian aid to Gazans, and actions that promote dialogue – and not more confrontation.

The immediate establishment of a permanent ceasefire to stabilize the situation in Gaza and the region, as well as to prevent the further loss of innocent civilian lives can no longer be postponed due to a logic of war.

The logic of war has taken us to the brink of regional escalation and widespread war.

Mister President,

The escalation of events in the past weeks has sent us all an important reminder: a world without rules or with rules that we pick and choose is a much more dangerous world.

What is in everyone’s interest is that all States fully adhere to the principles of International Law, including International Humanitarian Law, and International Human Rights Law.

Therefore, we call upon all parties and relevant actors in the Middle East to fully abide by their international obligations, including the respect for the sovereignty, the territorial integrity, and the political independence of every State in the area.

Brazil also calls on all parties to refrain from any action that are not in compliance with international obligations or that may amount to further escalation.
Last but not least, Brazil also recalls the obligations of Member States to comply with the rulings of the International Court of Justice.

While accepting the request and recognizing the plausibility of the case brought before it, the Court issued provisional measures demanding that Israel take all steps within its power to prevent all acts considered genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to avoid irreparable harm. The decision of the Court is of immediate and obligatory implementation.

We call on the Security Council to take action to ensure respect for erga omnes norms, including voting for – and not against – preventing serious violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Mister President,

What is in everyone’s interest is that the international governance system, including the United Nations and its Security Council, dully and effectively discharges its responsibilities.

That is why Brazil calls on the Security Council not to shy away from its main responsibility of addressing threats to international peace and security.

A credible commitment to peace and security in the Middle East requires that the international community take every step necessary for the fulfillment of the self determination of the Palestinian people and the implementation of the two-State solution, as per General Assembly Resolution 181(II) of 1947.

The international community must embrace actions that prioritize dialogue and diplomacy when considering the ways to facilitate a just and lasting resolution to the protracted conflict between Israel and Palestine.

While commending Algeria's efforts on behalf of the Arab Group to advance the application of the State of Palestine to join the United Nations as a full member, Brazil encourages the Security Council to assess such a request for its main merit – to redress by peaceful means a historical injustice to the Palestine's legitimate aspiration for statehood.

As President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated before the League of Arab States in Cairo in February 2024, “the decision on the existence of an independent Palestinian State was made 75 years ago by the United Nations” itself. Therefore, “there are no excuses to further prevent the State of Palestine from joining the UN as a full member”.

Additionally, 139 of the UN membership have already recognized the sovereignty of the State of Palestine. Brazil has done so in 2010, recognizing its territorial sovereignty along the lines of 1967 borders.

Finally, the State of Palestine is already full member of various regional and international organizations, as well as of relevant UN agencies. As way of illustration, I cite UNESCO, UNIDO, UNCTAD, UNFCCC, OPCW, NAM, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, G77+China, among others. Within these entities, the State of Palestine has acted responsibly and in accordance with the main tenets of international law and diplomatic practice. In 2019, the country took up the challenge of chairing the G77 – the largest coalition of developing countries in the United Nations.

We reiterate thus our unwavering support for Palestine in its quest for further international recognition via diplomatic channels. While encouraging the remaining 54 countries that have not yet acknowledged Palestine as a sovereign State, we also welcome recent announcements of countries that expressed a will to do so in the near future.

Mister President,

Time has come for the international community to finally welcome the fully sovereign and independent State of Palestine as a new member of the United Nations.

As for the ongoing hostilities in Gaza, time has long passed for the international community to stop further suffering of civilians. As we are held accountable by young generations to fulfil the main promise enshrined in the UN Charter of sparing more innocent lives from the scourge of war, our focus should be to move towards healing the wounds and rebuilding the future.

We have laid the normative basis for the consolidation of the territorial sovereignty of the State of Palestine through various decisions of the United Nations that outlaw occupation and annexation. We should now discuss ways to ensure the implementation of such norms through the engagement of the United Nations.

Large-scale investment in economic development and infrastructure will be essential to ensure that Palestine achieves the long-term prosperity and stability its resilient people deserve. Sustainable development and economic empowerment are pillars of any lasting peace settlement.

The latest events in the Middle East bear yet another testament to the fact that a lasting and sustainable solution for the Palestinian Question is not only a moral imperative. It is a strategic pre-requisite for regional and global stability. Peace and stability in the Middle East can only be achieved when the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for self-determination and statehood is met.

Let us summon the courage and determination to forge a path toward a just and lasting resolution to this decades-long conflict. Only through dialogue, mutual respect, and a commitment to shared prosperity we can hope to achieve the vision of a future where Israelis and Palestinians can coexist in peace and security.

We should not and need not depend on the whims of so-called rational actors that calculate – and often, miscalculate – our future. All we need is to abide by the law.

Thank you.