It is necessary to prevent conflict from influencing coexistence between Arabs and Israelis in Brazil, says former ambassador to Israel

Sérgio Eduardo Moreira Lima, who was Brazil’s ambassador to Israel between 2003 and 2007, highlighted, in an interview with CNN , the good relations between Arabs and Israelis living on Brazilian soil. According to him, it is necessary to prevent the conflict in the Middle East from influencing coexistence between the two realities.

“Brazilian foreign policy could not fail to reflect these realities. One of the government’s concerns is to prevent the conflict in the Middle East from influencing the mutual respect and friendly coexistence that exists between the two communities in Brazil,” he stated.

Read the main excerpts from the former chancellor’s interview with CNN :

Question – Historically, Brazilian diplomacy is pragmatic and defends the existence of two sovereign and independent states: that of Israel, created in 1948, and that of Palestine, which still seeks full sovereignty, being recognized by a large part of the international community. Can you comment on Brazil’s historic stance of always trying to maintain good diplomatic ties with both sides, in compliance with UN resolutions, in the face of any conflict?

Sergio Moreira Lima – Traditionally, Brazilian foreign policy towards the Middle East has been guided by the following factors: the existence of important Arab and Jewish communities in Brazil; interest in the successful conclusion of the peace process between the Arab and Jewish peoples, especially between Israelis and Palestinians; the strategic importance of the Persian Gulf, as the holder of large oil reserves, and a significant consumer and export market with growing capacity for foreign investment; and the geopolitical relevance of the region, as an international nerve center.

Historically, Brazil’s position regarding the conflict is explained by its adherence to principles of international and humanitarian law, such as the belief in fundamental human rights, the right to self-determination, the sovereign equality of States, the peaceful resolution of conflicts and respect obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law. These principles, such as the prohibition of conquest and annexation of territory by force, are enshrined in the multilateral system, created by the United Nations, in the post-World War II period.

It is worth remembering that Brazil participated in the War and contributed to a defining moment in History, fighting against a common enemy and helping to achieve an important victory for humanity. Even before the declaration of the State of Israel, in 1948, Brazil’s position reflected the presidency of the UN General Assembly, held by former Brazilian chancellor Oswaldo Aranha, which recommended, in 1947, the partition of Palestine into a Jewish State and a another, Arabic. Brazil was one of the first countries to recognize the State of Israel, in 1949, the same year that Israel became a member of the United Nations. In 1952, the Brazilian government opened its diplomatic representation in Tel Aviv. In 71 years of diplomatic relations, Brazil and Israel have built an important basis of mutual trust, essential to face, with balance and moderation, divergences resulting from complex situations throughout this period.

Brazil’s relations with Palestine were established in 1975, when Brazil considered the Palestinian National Authority the nation’s official representative. In 1993, the Special Palestinian Delegation was opened in Brasília, with Embassy status from 1998 onwards. In 2004, Brazil opened the Representative Office in Ramallah. In 2010, the Brazilian government recognized the Palestinian State with its borders prior to the Six Day War.

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Question – How important was Oswaldo Aranha in the history of Brazilian diplomacy when he presided over the UN General Assembly that approved, in 1947, the Partition of Palestine between a Jewish state and an Arab state? And the effects of this?

Moreira Lima – Oswaldo Aranha presided over the UN General Assembly that approved Resolution 181, which recommended the Partition of the British Mandate of Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab State. Of the 33 votes in favor of the decision, 13 came from Latin American countries, which reflects Brazilian influence. The hammer used by Oswaldo Aranha in the historic Assembly was donated to Israel by the Aranha family and is found in a small museum in the Kibbutz of Bror Hail, near Gaza, called the “Kibbutz of the Brazilians”. Aranha was one of Rio Branco’s great successors, 26 years after the end of the Barão’s administration. While he was the architect of the definitive seam of our borders, Aranha contributed to consolidating the principles and values ​​that mark Brazil’s international identity.

Question – What other acts by Brazil in the face of the conflict between Israel and Palestine in recent years would you highlight?

Moreira Lima – I would start by recalling Brazil’s participation in the Peace Force after the Suez conflict. From 1956 to 1967, Brazil reaffirmed its commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and the stability of the region by contributing a total military contingent of 6,204 soldiers, who were part of the international peacekeeping force to supervise the ceasefire after the Crisis. of the Suez Canal (1956). Furthermore, in 1967, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, Brazil contributed to the drafting and voted in favor of Resolution 242, which established the basis of the “land for peace” principle, an important reference in the negotiating process between Israel and the Arabs. and mainstay of historic efforts for a peace agreement. During the period in which I was Ambassador, Brazil was invited, for the first time, to participate in a conference in the peace process between Israel and Palestine, the Annapolis Conference, organized by the US government, in November 2007.

Since the Palestine issue was introduced on the UN agenda, Brazil has consistently advocated a peaceful solution to the conflict, a source of interest also in the National Congress and in Brazilian public opinion, especially that formed by the Brazilian Arab and Israeli communities. Both live amicably, which represents an inspiration for harmony and peaceful coexistence. Furthermore, in both Israel and Palestine, there is a significant contingent of Brazilians, many of dual nationality. Brazilian foreign policy could not fail to reflect these realities. One of the government’s concerns is to prevent the conflict in the Middle East from influencing the mutual respect and friendly coexistence that exists between the two communities in Brazil.

With its tradition of defending international law, Brazil has sought to prevent the conflict in the Middle East from weakening the multilateral system and its principles and norms, such as that which prohibits occupation and territorial incorporation through force.

In 2004, based on the Oslo Accords, Brazil opened an office in Ramallah, in the West Bank, headed by an ambassador. It was the second Latin American country to do so.

Brazil has sent parliamentarians and members of the judiciary as international observers in elections held in the West Bank in the past.

From a historical perspective, the relationship with Israel and Palestine has always been marked by a commitment to regional stability, cooperation and partnership. Bilateral relations tend to strengthen in periods of peace.

Historically, Brazil has important credentials for the way it peacefully negotiated its borders with ten neighboring countries in South America, creating a true landmark of international law, the peaceful resolution of disputes, establishing lasting structural conditions for peaceful coexistence. This is an important legacy for a culture of peace and international security. For more than 160 years, Brazil has maintained a relationship based on a fraternal feeling with all its neighbors, transforming geographic limits into frontiers of interconnection and cooperation.

The free trade agreement between Mercosur and Israel (which came into force in 2010) and also with Palestine (in 2018) well illustrates this cooperation paradigm. It was one of the first negotiated by Brazil. I was the head of the Brazilian delegation in the negotiation.

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Question – How do you see the real possibility of efforts towards the existence of two States, as Brazil defends?

Moreira Lima – From an international perspective, the number of countries that recognize Palestine as a state has increased. I believe there are more than 190. The international community cannot give up on a process that began in 1947 under the protection of the United Nations and which, with the help of the parties, must be concluded through negotiations in good faith and not unilateral changes to the violation of international law. Unilateral changes are precarious and create a scenario of permanent instability, as has been observed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It takes the commitment of Israel’s leadership and the strengthening of the Palestinian National Authority, the legitimate representative of its people, to take important internal decisions such as the withdrawal by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in 2005, of the 21 Jewish settlements with more than 8 thousand settlers existing in the Gaza Strip. But at the time, the gesture of surrender that would have strengthened the Palestinian Authority politically, in the person of its president Mahmoud Abbas, was missing. In the absence of a conciliatory gesture, Hamas’s declaration to continue the armed struggle was echoed. It is necessary to honor the political commitment to the Oslo Accords and UN resolutions. There is no alternative to peace agreements negotiated in good faith between the parties. The territories in question are relatively small and vulnerable to developments in weapons and technology. History has shown that the permanent solution is not the one imposed, but rather the one that results from negotiations between the parties.

Question – With your experience as Brazil’s ambassador to Israel, how was Brazil seen by Israeli and Palestinian authorities?

Moreira Lima – I was Brazil’s ambassador to Israel from 2003 to 2007. I arrived in Israel shortly before the start of the Iraq War, amid preparations for Israel’s defense forces to retaliate against Saddam Hussein’s missiles. At every corner in the center of Tel Aviv I came across anti-missile systems. When I was preparing to leave Israel four years later, war had broken out against Hezbollah in Lebanon. At the request of journalist Nahum Sirotsky, I put together some of my lectures and articles in a book published in Israel in English, whose preface was written by Shimon Peres.

Question – How do you believe Brazil can effectively contribute to the conflict today?

Moreira Lima – It is necessary to defend International Law, the norms that apply to regulate friendly coexistence between members of the community of nations. Radicals cannot be allowed to determine the international agenda. It is not force that makes Law. The set of resolutions of the Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly represent the basis on which the principle of two States living side by side in security, harmony and peace must be built. I will never forget the phrase of the then UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, who I knew personally: “war is not the continuation of politics by other means. On the contrary, it represents the catastrophic failure of political imagination and skill.