Brazilian President Da Silva (left) described what Israel is doing to the Palestinian people as genocide (Reuters)

São Paulo -

The G20 foreign ministers held their two-day meeting in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro on February 21, and on its agenda were issues of poverty, climate, reform of the United Nations and the UN Security Council, the Russian war on Ukraine, and the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

The meeting comes in light of an escalating diplomatic crisis between Brazil and Israel after the statements of Brazilian President Lula da Silva during the African Summit in Addis Ababa on February 18, in which he described what Israel is doing to the Palestinian people as “the Holocaust and genocide.”

The "diplomatic clash" between the two parties prompted Da Silva to summon his ambassador to Tel Aviv against the backdrop of the measures taken by the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the statements that Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira considered "disgusting."

The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro hosts the G20 foreign ministers meeting (Reuters)

Clear support

All of this comes at a time when the Brazilian popular protest movement against the Israeli massacres in the Gaza Strip and the rest of the Palestinian territories is escalating, through demonstrations and events, which have not stopped since the start of the aggression against the Strip, in most Brazilian cities and states.

Arlene Klemisha, a professor of contemporary history at the University of Sao Paulo, says that the Brazilian official position regarding the Israeli aggression against Gaza has gradually, and cautiously, become clearer and more decisive since the first week after the seventh of last October.

She added to Al Jazeera Net, "It is clear that Da Silva is disturbed and very affected by the massacre being committed in Gaza. After approximately 5 months, he has reached the most clear moment in his support for Palestine."

Klemisha explains that this transformation began with the long-awaited declaration of Brazilian support for South Africa before the International Court of Justice, and has now taken a new dimension with the summoning of the Brazilian ambassador to Israel, da Silva, after he was classified as persona non grata there.

She continues, "The main media in Brazil did not stop criticizing da Silva in all the support steps he provided for Palestine. Brazilian public opinion is largely divided, and the local political dispute between the right-wing parties and the social democratic forces is very acute. The Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people has now entered its course." ".

She added, "Right-wing political parties, local Zionist entities, and their representatives in Parliament began using da Silva's steps to attack him with false accusations of supporting terrorism, and the Palestinian issue was used as a weapon by the right against the Brazilian president."

Brave president

In turn, Bruno Oberman, professor of international relations at the Catholic University of Sao Paulo, says that President Lula da Silva was very brave in standing with the Palestinians who are being subjected to extermination.

He believes that summoning the Brazilian ambassador to Israel after the "humiliation" to which he was subjected by the occupation's Foreign Minister is not enough, and that Israel has mocked Da Silva and Brazil in recent days, while the Brazilian Foreign Minister did not respond "appropriately."

Opperman explained to Al Jazeera Net that Brazil is one of the largest buyers of Israeli weapons in history, and that the military embargo, if a decision is taken, could lend credibility to Lula da Silva's statements.

The same spokesman continues, "As for Brazilian public opinion, it is divided over what is happening in Gaza, because it is divided between supporters of Lula da Silva and former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. The Zionist left is strong and has broad influence in the country, and the media is also opposed to the government's positions."

For his part, Brazilian journalist and labor leader Fabio Bosco told Al Jazeera Net that the majority of the Brazilian people condemn the genocide committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, and demand that the occupation cease fire, and therefore what da Silva said was completely consistent with the general feeling of the Brazilian people. .

Regarding the role that Brazil may play in international forums, such as the G20 summit meeting that will be held in the coming months, Opperman says, “The G20 is the last space for dialogue between competing great powers. I believe that Brazil is capable of playing an important mediation role in this context, which is characterized by increasing global tension.” and the spread of armed conflicts.

He adds that Brazil is one of the few countries able to act as a trustworthy interlocutor for the United States, Russia, China, India and the European Union, with which it negotiated a free trade agreement.

A stand in solidarity in Brazil with Palestine (Al Jazeera)

important role

Opperman continues, "I believe that Brazilian diplomacy is capable of playing an important role in preventing the escalation of the new Cold War and reaching the point of no return. The challenge is whether the major powers view Brazil as an effective actor capable of playing this leadership role."

He explains, "Western countries have succeeded in curbing Brazil's ambitions to become a global power, as happened when the United States, under former President Barack Obama, rejected the nuclear agreement that Lula da Silva concluded with Iran in 2010."

As for journalist Fabio Bosco, he says that the Brazilian government will present three points for discussion at the G20 summit, which are combating poverty, climate change, and reforming the UN Security Council and the United Nations.

He believes that the main problem is with the rich capitalist countries, because combating poverty is at the bottom of their list of priorities, and combating climate change seems to harm their economic interests.

Regarding the Security Council, Bosco believes that the five permanent members will not accept any change that reduces their strength and powers.

Therefore, all of these points will not be addressed within the framework of the G20, and the only way to confront these challenges is for those affected by poverty and climate problems to take action at the global level.

Regarding the consistency of Brazilian positions, popularly and officially, with the positions of the countries of the South, led by South Africa, towards the war of genocide in Gaza, Klemisha says that Lula da Silva’s criticism of the Israeli aggression on Gaza was an expression of the general feeling among large segments of the Brazilian people.

She adds that from the moment this controversy and disagreement erupted, no country condemned what Lula da Silva said, but there were several countries that expressed their official support, such as Colombia, Bolivia, Cuba, and Venezuela.

Bosco believes that Brazilian public sentiment is against the war of extermination in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, a sentiment similar to the feelings of solidarity of the Brazilian working class with the workers and poor of the countries of the South.

He adds that what the South African government did to “bring the Israeli killers” to international justice is “a courageous and extremely important initiative, and the vast majority of the Brazilian people will be happy to prosecute the perpetrators and stop this hideous massacre against the Palestinian people.”

Source: Al Jazeera