Statement by the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question - October 18th, 2023

At last Friday’s closed consultations, Council members asked for Brazil’s leadership in our capacity as President of the Council for the month of October to facilitate a Council response to the escalating crisis in Israel and Palestine, in particular its humanitarian aspects. We heeded the call with a sense of urgency and responsibility. In our view, the Council had to take action and to do so very quickly. Council paralysis in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe is not in the interest of the international community.

Therefore, throughout the past weekend and the following days, we worked very hard through extensive and collaborative engagement with Council members to help build a unified position. While making a good faith effort to accommodate different — sometimes opposing — positions, our focus was and remains on the critical humanitarian situation on the ground. Political realism guided us, but our sight was always set on the humanitarian imperative. Exactly as in other very sensitive items on the Council’s agenda in which Brazil had a special role to play, international humanitarian law and human rights law provided a clear framework for action.

Our proposed text (S/2023/773) unequivocally condemned all forms of violence against civilians, including the heinous acts of terrorism by Hamas and the taking of hostages. It called for immediate and unconditional release. It also called on all parties to strictly abide by their international legal obligations, in particular those relating to the protection of civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian personnel. The draft resolution also stressed the urgent need for humanitarian access to civilians.

The text incorporated urgent and multiple calls by the United Nations and many other actors for humanitarian pauses to allow for the delivery of aid and the voluntary safe passage of civilians. It encouraged the establishment of humanitarian corridors and other mechanisms to facilitate the smooth delivery of aid. The draft further reflected the ethical necessity to provide civilians in Gaza with electricity, water, fuel, food and medical supplies and the necessity to be protected from forced relocation when the prevailing conditions on the ground do not ensure a safe and secure displacement. Thus, faced with heinous terrorist acts against Israeli civilians, the forceful reaction to such acts and an ever-growing humanitarian disaster imposed on Gaza, the Council response we proposed was robust and balanced.

We are grateful to all Council members who engaged with us since Friday and demonstrated a sincere and practical commitment to multilateralism.

Sadly, very sadly, the Council was yet again unable to adopt a resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Again, silence and inaction prevailed to no one’s true long-term interest.

While we deeply regret that collective action is made impossible in the Security Council, we do hope that efforts by other actors will yield positive results. They must be prompt, effective and substantial. Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza cannot wait any longer. Actually, they have waited for far too long to no avail.

Thank you.