Discurso do Representante Permanente, Embaixador Sérgio França Danese, em reunião do Conselho de Segurança sobre a Situação no Oriente Médio, incluindo a Questão Palestina - 10 de novembro de 2023 (texto em inglês)

Statement by Permanent Representative, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question
November 10th, 2023

Mister President,

I thank the United Arab Emirates and China for calling for this open briefing on the health emergency in Gaza. I also thank Mr. Tedros Ghebreyesus and Mr. Marwan Jilani for their briefings and commend them and their teams for their tireless work on the war-torn ground of Gaza.

Brazil remains deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, marked by a disturbing increase in civilian casualties, particularly among women and children. The loss of thousands of children’s lives is appalling. Children must be protected from hostilities. In President Lula da Silva’s words, innocents are called upon to pay the price for the madness of war. This must stop at once.

Brazil urges the Israeli authorities to exercise immediate military restraint and to respect the principles of distinction and proportionality in order to protect civilian lives and infrastructure. We also call on Hamas and all other groups to cease all indiscriminate attacks on Israeli territory.

Hospitals and United Nations facilities have been indiscriminately attacked, with an appalling number of civilian casualties, including of essential personnel such as aid workers, United Nations personnel and journalists. Brazil calls for the protection of all medical facilities, professionals, patients and the wounded, in accordance with international humanitarian law. We also call for the safe medical evacuation of those who are seriously injured or ill.

Despite the risks, the delivery by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East of essential emergency medical supplies from the World Health Organization to the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on 8 November is a step in the right direction. But we share the concerns of Mr. Ghebreyesus and Mr. Lazzarini that it is not nearly enough to meet the overwhelming needs in Gaza. Medical supplies in Al Shifa are critically low, and fuel shortages have become critical.

We hope that the long-awaited announcement of daily humanitarian pauses in northern Gaza will facilitate the delivery of aid to civilians. As highlighted by the United Nations, the hundreds of thousands who remain in the north are facing a dire humanitarian situation, as they struggle to find even minimal amounts of water and food to survive. We call for full, safe and sustained humanitarian access to distribute essential supplies on a much larger scale, more frequently and in greater quantities.

Besides a humanitarian ceasefire, all parties must also commit to a cessation of hostilities, which is essential for the long-term protection of all civilians. We remain deeply concerned about the fate of all hostages and call for their immediate release. Their safety, well-being and humane treatment in accordance with international law must be guaranteed. The International Committee of the Red Cross must be granted access to all hostages without further delay. The crisis poses a significant threat to international peace and security and has the potential to escalate into a wider conflict.

One month into the crisis, it is clear that diplomatic efforts have failed to match the gravity of the situation. The international community must act swiftly to create the conditions for a lasting solution. Violence will not provide the answers. Yesterday, in Paris, at the international humanitarian conference for the civilian population in Gaza, Brazil stressed the importance of convening a conference that can promote a political solution to the decades-old conflict, with the participation of a large number of States, modelled on the 2007 Annapolis conference.

Ignoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination has had an unacceptable toll in terms of human lives and human suffering on both Palestinians and Israelis. The recognition of a viable Palestinian State living side by side with Israel within secure and mutually accepted and internationally recognized borders is the only possible solution. It is high time that we go back to that path, with true political will and real diplomacy.

Thank you.