Brazil condemns expansion of Israeli settlements in Palestine
The Brazilian government strongly criticized the Israeli government’s approval of 22 additional settlements in Palestinian territory. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this decision constitutes a “flagrant violation of international law,” which Brazil firmly rejects.
“The Brazilian government strongly condemns the announcement made by the Israeli government on May 29 approving 22 new settlements in the West Bank, a territory that is an integral part of the State of Palestine,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Sunday (Jun. 1).
Earlier, during the national convention of the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) in Brasília, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva read the statement issued by the Ministry and reiterated his criticism of what he describes as “genocide” committed by Israel against the Palestinians.
“This war is an act of revenge by a government against the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state. Behind the massacre carried out under the pretext of pursuing Hamas lies the true objective of seizing control of Gaza’s territory,” Lula said. “This is not a war between two armies of equal strength. What we are witnessing is a highly equipped army attacking women and children. This is not a war—it is genocide,” he added.
Flagrant illegality
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “this decision constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and directly contradicts the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on July 19, 2024.”
The Court, cited by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ruled that Israel’s “continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory” is illegal and called on Israel to immediately halt all settlement activity and evacuate all settlers from the territory.
Repudiation
“Brazil condemns the recurring unilateral actions taken by the Israeli government, which, by effectively imposing annexation of the occupied Palestinian territory, undermine the prospects for a two-state solution,” the statement added.
The statement reaffirms Brazil’s “historic commitment to an independent and viable State of Palestine, living in peace and security alongside Israel within the 1967 borders—including the West Bank and Gaza Strip—with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the approval of 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank on Thursday (May 29). Smotrich is a far-right politician and an advocate for Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.
