US lawmakers and Israel have attacked Brazil for recognizing the state of Palestine based on the borders that existed prior to the 1967 Six-Day War.
US lawmakers and Israel have attacked Brazil for recognizing the state of Palestine based on the borders that existed prior to the 1967 Six-Day War. US legislators described Brazil's decision as "regrettable," saying the move might threaten peace and security in the Middle East.The decision of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva "is regrettable and will only serve to undermine peace and security in the Middle East," AFP quoted Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as saying on Friday.
The move "is severely misguided and represents a last gasp by a Lula-led foreign policy which was already substantially off track," charged Democratic Representative Eliot Engel. Israel on Saturday said it was disappointed by Brazil's decision saying it flew in the face of efforts to negotiate a “peace deal.” "Recognition of a Palestinian state is a breach of the interim agreement which was signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority 1995 which said that the issue of the status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be discussed and resolved through negotiations," it said.
On December 1, Lula sent a letter to acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas, 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 decision in response to a request made earlier this year by Abbas to President Lula 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.
The international community backs Palestinian demands for a state in most of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem), all territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.
