Joint Statement - 5th Meeting of the Mechanism of Bilateral Political Consultations Brazil-Palestine

JOINT STATEMENT

5th MEETING OF THE MECHANISM OF BILATERAL POLITICAL CONSULTATIONS BRAZIL-PALESTINE

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Ambassador Maria Laura da Rocha, and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine, Dr. Varsen Aghabekian Shaheen, held in Brasilia, on March 17, 2025, the 5th Meeting of the Mechanism of Bilateral Political Consultations Brazil-Palestine.

They discussed the situation in Palestine, expressed their concern about the fragility of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and condemned Israeli violations to this agreement, in particular the suspension of the entry of humanitarian aid and electricity. They agreed on the urgency of attaining an agreement for the permanent cessation of hostilities, including the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners detained in violation of international law, as well as the definition of a robust mechanism that ensures the unimpeded access of humanitarian aid. They expressed their support for the Early Recovery, Reconstruction, and Development of Gaza plan, adopted by the League of Arab States on March 4, 2025, and coincided on the need of the government of the State of Palestine returning to Gaza.

They expressed their concern about the situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in light of the continued expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians, threats of annexation, and intensified Israeli military operations in Palestinian cities and refugee camps, which have led to the forced displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians.

They recalled the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of July 19, 2024, which concluded that the continued Israeli presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and must be brought to an end as rapidly as possible.

They reiterated their strong support for initiatives aimed at the implementation of the advisory opinion and UNGA Resolution ES-10/24, and decided to cooperate in the preparation of the upcoming High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, in June.

They stressed that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is irreplaceable and rejected all attempts to hinder its activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.

They discussed the most important issues of the bilateral agenda and agreed to deepen cooperation in various fields. They decided to hold meetings of the Mechanism of Bilateral Political Consultations on an annual basis, in order to exchange views on regional and international issues of common interest. They also agreed to promote contact between academic organizations and institutions of their countries specialized in the field of international relations and foreign policy and to encourage contact between cultural and civil society institutions as well as cooperation between private sector institutions of their countries.

Ambassador Maria Laura da Rocha reaffirmed Brazil´s strong support to the attainment of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination, based on the two-state solution.