On Monday, Brazilian government authorized the construction of a Palestinian embassy in the capital of the country, Brasilia. Lula da Silva, coinciding with his farewell party in Rio, doubt about the ability of the U.S. as a peace mediator. The news was announced by the Palestinian ambassador to Brazil Ibrahim al-Zaben.
According to the information released, the embassy will be constructed in the north of Brasilia, next to other national embassies; it will cost $14 million and will consist of 22-dunum track of land, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued in a statement.
In addition, the Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated on Monday, coinciding with his farewell party in Rio de Janeiro, that peace in the Middle East is impossible with the United States as a mediator and added that ‘It is important to develop other elements, other countries which could mediate.’
Recently, politicians like the former U.S. President Jimmy Carter have supported the active role of Brazil in the Middle East conflict.
‘We cannot count on the United States alone to bring peace, since it agrees with almost everything Israel does,’ Carter said.
The news comes a month after Brazil officially recognized a Palestinian state among its 1967 border with Israel, a decision that has been followed by neighbors Argentina and Bolivia. Ecuador is reported to be making similar moves.
There are approximately 50,000 Palestinians living in Brazil, most of them refugees from the 1948 Nakba.
