At UN, Latin American leaders call for establishment of Palestinian state, end to Israeli occupation

The leaders of Latin American countries have called for the establishment of a free Palestine and an end to the Israeli violence in the Palestinian territories.

Addressing the 78th session of the UN General Assembly on September 19-26, the heads of governments from Chile, Cuba, Brazil, Bolivia and Colombia called on “the United Nations to denounce the persecution” of Palestinians.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and a defender of human rights, sounded the alarm on the violations of the Israeli occupation against Palestinian people.

Boric urged the world “not to remain silent when we see the illegal occupation of Palestine and the inability of Palestine to form a state. We must recognize their rights under international law.”

The Chilean president called on member states to support the “establishment of an independent Palestinian State.”

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pointed to the plight of Palestinians, stressing the necessity of peace in the Palestinian territories and the establishment of a Palestinian State.

“The world will not witness sustainability or prosperity without peace. We already know the horror and suffering of all wars, and therefore, promoting a culture of peace is a duty for all of us, as building it requires continuity and vigilance,” Lula said.

“It is disturbing to see that old conflicts have not been resolved yet, and their threats are increasing little by little,” he added. “This is clearly demonstrated by the difficulty of securing the establishment of a state for the Palestinian people.”

On the sidelines of UN meetings, the Brazilian president met with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas and stressed his country’s support for the Palestinian people and continued coordination to strengthen the existing friendship and relations between the two countries.

The Palestinian president, for his part, invited Lula da Silva to visit Palestine.

Israel's 'hideous' occupation will not last: PA president tells UN

Addressing the UN General Assembly, the Palestinian Authority

During his speech at the UN, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro underscored that “the war in Ukraine benefits the world powers, while their approach to Palestine is different.” 

“The United Nations should as soon as possible hold two peace conferences — one on Ukraine and the other on Palestine. This would lead the way in helping to bring peace to all regions of the planet, because both of these alone can bring an end to hypocrisy as a political practice,” Petro underlined.

The Colombian leader also said in order to see social justice instead of global injustice, “all wars must be brought to an end.”

Bolivia’s President Luis Alberto Arce Catacora urged the international community to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and allow its people to exercise their right to self-determination in a free, independent and sovereign state with the occupied al-Quds as its capital.

“Current crises demand a strong United Nations, consistent with the principles that created it, committed to peace, maintaining its intergovernmental character without subordination to any hegemonic power,” Catacora added.

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermudez, the president of Cuba, also affirmed his country’s support and solidarity with the Palestinian people and their just cause and rejected Israel’s arbitrary and unilateral measures against Palestinians.

Over 200 Palestinians have been killed this year in the occupied Palestinian territories and Gaza. The majority of these fatalities have been recorded in the West Bank.

Those figures indicate that 2023 is already the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the United Nations began keeping track of fatalities in 2005.

Previously, 2022 had been the deadliest year with 150 Palestinians killed, of whom 33 were minors, according to the United Nations.

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