The Brazilian Foreign Ministry has announced that it recognizes the state of Palestine based on the borders before Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967.
Brazil made the decision in response to a request made earlier this year by acting Palestinian Authority (PA) chief Mahmoud Abbas to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and also in line with Brazil's support for United Nations resolutions, which demand that Israel must end the complete occupation of the Palestinian territories, Bloomberg reported. Silva sent a letter to Abbas on December 1, saying Brazil recognizes Palestine and hopes that the recognition will help lead to a situation where Israel and Palestine will "coexist peacefully and in security," the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Brazil made the announcement after the UN General Assembly concluded a two-day debate on November 30, adopting six resolutions on the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East.
"Convinced that a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement to the question of Palestine was imperative for lasting Middle East peace, the General Assembly today stressed the urgent need for sustained international involvement, including by the Middle East diplomatic Quartet, to support both parties in resuming stalled negotiations," the UN General Assembly said in a statement.
The resolution was adopted by a recorded vote of 165 in favor to 7 against (Australia, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and the United States), with 4 abstentions (Cameroon, Canada, Cote d'Ivoire, and Tonga).
US Congressman Eliot Engel criticized the Brazilian move, saying, “Brazil's decision to recognize Palestine is severely misguided and represents a last gasp by a Lula-led foreign policy which was already substantially off track.”
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