The Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil condemned the Israeli occupation’s attacks against Palestinians praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem the continuous storming of the site by Israeli settlers and the targeting of many young people in different cities of the occupied West Bank. The Arab ambassadors who met on Saturday in Brasilia urged the Brazilian government to play a more active role with the international community and search for paths to peace in the Middle East after Israeli occupation forces stormed Al-Aqsa last Wednesday fired stun grenades at Palestinians injured dozens and arrested more than 400 worshippers.
In a statement they said: “The disproportionate use of violence by the Israeli forces is a desperate attempt by the Israeli government to divert attention from its inextricable political and institutional crisis.” They clarified that the only way to reduce tensions in the occupied land is for Israel to “stop attacks against defenseless devotees in the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
“The end of the Israeli occupation is the way to reach a just definitive and lasting peace in the Middle East” they added.
“Israel needs to commit to the negotiation process with the Palestinians so we can resume efforts to reach a fair and complete peace agreement that is based on UN resolutions. The only solution is based on achieving an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital” head of the Arab League Mission in Brazil Ambassador Qais Shqair said.
Shqair added: “The Israeli government targets the defenseless Muslim worshippers at a time when there are huge demonstrations in Israel against government policies. The attack on Al-Aqsa and the worshippers is an attempt to hide their [the government’s] failure to contain their internal crises.”
According to the Palestinian Ambassador to Brazil Ibrahim Alzeben Brazil has supported the peace process since 1947. He recalled that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva cited his constant willingness to find a solution that saves the region from the “spill of blood violence and suffering”.
Latin America did not stand idly by during the assaults on the people of Palestine across the continent protesters chanted slogans calling for Arab and international support for Al-Aqsa Mosque worshippers and the Palestinians who were being attacked in the occupied West Bank.
Cuba has witnessed a wave of solidarity with the Palestinian people. It has denounced the continuous Israeli crimes and violations against the Palestinian people and declared its solidarity with the worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. In a tweet the foreign minister said Israel’s actions offend the religious feelings of the Palestinians and exacerbate the climate of violence.
Chile expressed its deep concern about the acts of violence in Al-Aqsa Mosque. The government issued a statement in which it called for “respect[ing] the legal historical and religious status of this holy place for Muslims and avoid[ing] these acts and provocations.”
While the Mexican Foreign Ministry expressed its “deep concern and sadness about the Israeli police’s use of force in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
The Israeli attacks come during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan which the occupation is turning into a battlefield every year.
Latin America’s support for Palestine however will not disappear when the Israeli attacks stop. Solidarity activists will continue to struggle for Palestinian rights until Israel’s brutal military occupation is brought to an end.
– Eman Abusidu is MEMO’s correspondent in Brazil.
