Brazil–Palestine relations are the current and historical bilateral relations between Brazil and

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

. On 5 December 2010, Brazil officially recognized the

State of Palestine Palestine ( ar, فلسطين, Filasṭīn), Legal status of the State of Palestine, officially the State of Palestine ( ar, دولة فلسطين, Dawlat Filasṭīn, label=none), is a state (polity), state located in Western Asia. Officiall ...

including all of the West Bank and the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

. In 2015, the Embassy of the

to Brazil was opened in Brazil's capital, Brasília, and the Brazilian government received an area in

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusale ...

for installing its diplomatic mission to Palestine.

Palestinian statehood

In 2010, Brazil has firmly stressed its support for a Palestinian state within the borders of 1967 (that is, including West Bank and the

).Brazil and the Middle East
The Cairo Review of Global Affairs. Retrieved on 2011-11-01. The Brazilian Government has also advocated the end of the

blockade of the Gaza Strip The blockade of the Gaza Strip is the ongoing land, air, and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip imposed by Israel and Egypt temporarily in 2005–2006 and permanently from 2007 onwards, following the Israeli disengagement from Gaza. The block ...

. On 5 December 2010, it formally recognized the State of Palestine in the 1967 borders, including all of the West Bank,

and

East Jerusalem East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the sector of Jerusalem that was held by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to the western sector of the city, West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Jerusalem was envisaged as a separat ...

. The move initiated a chain reaction through the region. Given Brazil's economic prominence, its South American neighbors likely saw low political risks in following Brasília’s lead. In her address to the General Assembly, President Dilma Rousseff reiterated her country's firm support: "We believe the time has come for us to have Palestine fully represented as a full member in this forum." Brazil voted in favor of Palestine's admission as a full member of UNESCO and has announced it will support Palestine's full membership application when it comes to a vote at the Security Council. In 2015, the Embassy of the

to Brazil was opened in Brazil's capital, Brasília, and the Brazilian government received an area in

for installing its diplomatic mission to Palestine. Following the

2018 Brazilian presidential election General elections were held in Brazil on 7 October 2018 to elect the president, National Congress and state governors. As no candidate in the presidential election received more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a runoff round was held ...

, President-elect

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who has been the 38th president of Brazil since 1 January 2019. He was elected in 2018 as a member of the Social Liberal Party, which he turn ...

, a staunch pro- Israel conservative, threatened to close the Palestinian embassy, and stated that Palestine 'is not a country.' In March 2019, Palestinians officials condemned Brazil’s opening of commercial office in Jerusalem because Palestinian officials consider Jerusalem as an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories. Palestinians also condemned the visit of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to Jerusalem’s Western Wall accompanied by Israel’s prime minister in 2019. Under Bolsonaro, Brazil has voted against Palestine in multilateral forums, meaning a clear worsening of Brazil-Palestine relations. In February 2020, Brazil asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to stop its investigation into Israel for war crimes committed against the Palestinian people. In November 2020, Brazil voted against the approval of a resolution at the World Health Organization (WHO) to guarantee access to healthcare services for the Palestinian population residing in the occupied territories.

References

{{Foreign relations of Palestine

Bilateral relations of the State of Palestine

Palestinian statehood

See also

References