Despite the efforts made, it is a disappointment for Brazilian diplomacy and for Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. While Brazil holds the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, two new resolutions on the subject of the war between Israel and Hamas, presented respectively by Russia and the United States, were rejected on October 25.
Since the attacks of October 7, the Brazilian president has increased initiatives. Despite recovering from hip surgery at the end of September, he grabbed his phone to reach the presidents of Israel, Egypt, Iran, Russia and France, the emir of Qatar as well as representatives of the United States, Arab countries and China.
The left-wing leader quickly described Hamas’ attacks as “terrorists” and expressed solidarity with the victims. He pleads for the release of the hostages, and in particular the children, the end of Israeli bombings and the opening of a humanitarian corridor in Gaza. “There must be a minimum of humanity in the madness of war”he said on October 11.
“It is not a war, but a genocide”
Contrasting with his attitude in the Ukrainian issue, where his statements favorable to Russia were criticized, Lula this time adopted “ a position balanced, unifying, in the Brazilian diplomatic tradition”, greets Hussein Kalout, professor of geopolitics at Harvard. In addition to the Security Council, Brasilia also chairs the G20 and Mercosur. “It’s difficult to act as a mediator, but it still gives him a little weight in this crisis”confirms the researcher.
President from 2003 to 2011, Lula had a certain mastery of the Israeli-Palestinian issue. In 2010, at the height of his popularity, he offered his services as a mediator. The country is home to the second largest Jewish community in Latin America, with 120,000 members, while nearly 15 million Brazilians have Arab origins. More anecdotal: a district of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, bears the name Al-Brazil, a tribute to UN peacekeepers stationed there between 1956 and 1967.
More crucially, three Brazilians were killed in the Hamas attack and several may be held hostage. Brasilia therefore intends to make its voice heard. Mauro Vieira, Minister of Foreign Affairs, coordinated the repatriation of 1,400 Brazilians living in Israel or Palestine, as well as the delivery of 40 water purifiers and nearly 300 kg of medicine to Gaza, where around thirty are believed to be trapped Brazilians.
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