Brazil recognizes Palestinian state

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his transformative Foreign Minister Celso Amorim are still making news in their last month in office, announcing today that Brazil would recognize the Palestinian state along the 1967 borders. Here’s the (Google-translated) statement from the foreign ministry:   The initiative is consistent with Brazil’s historical willingness to ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.
ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/Getty Images
ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/Getty Images
ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/Getty Images

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his transformative Foreign Minister Celso Amorim are still making news in their last month in office, announcing today that Brazil would recognize the Palestinian state along the 1967 borders. Here's the (Google-translated) statement from the foreign ministry:  

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his transformative Foreign Minister Celso Amorim are still making news in their last month in office, announcing today that Brazil would recognize the Palestinian state along the 1967 borders. Here’s the (Google-translated) statement from the foreign ministry:  

The initiative is consistent with Brazil’s historical willingness to contribute to the peace process between Israel and Palestine, whose direct negotiations are currently suspended, and is in line with UN resolutions demanding the end to the occupation of Palestinian territories and building an independent state within the borders of June 4, 1967.

The decision does not imply abandoning the conviction that are essential negotiations between Israel and Palestine in order to achieve that mutual concessions on the central issues of the conflict.

Brazil reaffirms its traditional position of favoring a democratic Palestinian state, geographically cohesive and economically viable, living in peace with Israel. Only a democratic Palestine, free and sovereign will meet the legitimate demands for Israeli peace with its neighbors, security on its borders and political stability in its surrounding region.

 

The statement also states that that relations between Israel and Brazil have "never been so robust" and that "ties between the two countries have strengthened over the years."

More than 100 countries currently recognize the Palestinian state, including most of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. (Here’s a map from Wikipedia.) Crucially, all of the other countries in the BRIC alliance that Lula and Amorim have championed already recognize.

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

Tag: Brazil

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.