President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke by telephone, this Thursday (22), with the president of the Palestinian National Authority (ANP), Mahmoud Abbas. The information was released by Palácio do Planalto.
In the call, the leaders discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave that was practically destroyed by Israeli military forces over the last few years, with more than 68,000 deaths.
In October last year, the Israeli government and the armed political group Hamas, which governed the territory, signed a ceasefire agreement to stop the bloodshed, which particularly victimized women and children Palestinians.
“When expressing satisfaction with the ceasefire achieved in Gaza, President Lula consulted President Abbas on the prospects for reconstruction of the region and reiterated Brazil’s commitment to peace in the Middle East. Both exchanged views on the ongoing peace plan and agreed to continue maintaining contact on the topic,” Planalto said in a statement, without giving further details.
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Despite the ceasefire, bombings and shootings have been recorded in Gaza recently, according to reports from members of United Nations agencies working in the region.
Earlier, also this Thursday, the President of the United States (USA), Donald Trump, officially launched the body he calls Peace Councilwhich seeks, according to the North American president, to pacify and rebuild Gaza. The launch took place at the Davos Economic Forum, Switzerland. Lula was one of around 60 heads of state and international leaders invited to join the panel.
Last year, Mahmoud Abbas, whose government exercises authority over the West Bank but does not govern Gaza, argued, in an interview with the Arab network Al-Jazeera, that the peace plan for the enclave could only be lasting if it guaranteed Palestinian sovereignty over the territory. To date, however, Trump’s plans for Gaza include an executive management committee with no Palestinians at its helm.
