São Paulo – Palestine has been paid a tribute this Friday (29th) at a session held at the Brazilian House of Representatives, in Brasília, to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. At the event, the Palestinian ambassador in Brasília, Ibrahim Alzeben, said Brazil has always supported the creation of the State of Palestine and the cause of the people in Gaza and the West Bank.
In his address, Alzeben stated that the Palestinian people must be granted the right to live in their own territory, and said a solution must be found that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live at peace. “[Today] we are gathered at this holy place to our Brazilian friends (the House) to remind the world and ourselves that there is a tragedy going on that is recognized by all, and that there is a pressing need to put an end to this struggle, by returning to the Palestinian society the legal and humane to live on the face of the earth, rather than under it, or in papers and resolutions,” Alzeben said.
The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is celebrated on November 29th, the date on which United Nations resolution 181 became effective. The measure provided for the partitioning of Palestine and the creation of the states of Israel and Palestine.
On November 29 last year, the United Nations recognized Palestine as a non-member state during a General Assembly vote. The non-observer status was accepted by 138 countries out of a total of 193 represented at the Assembly. Opposing countries included the United States and Canada.
Alzeben has told ANBA that some of the most recent achievements of Palestinians are owed to the Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, and that he hopes his wishes will one day come true. “Twenty years ago, our reality was not what it is today, proof of which is the fact that we have been recognized by organizations such as the UN and a Unesco (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Ours has been a great struggle, but we are slowly moving towards our goal,” he said.
The representative Perpétua Almeida said Palestinians can no longer be refugees in their own country. “There are over 5 million Palestinians whose right to return to their land must be ensured,” she said.
The solemnity was attended by the representatives Augusto Carvalho, Adrian Mussi and Érika Kokay, the assistant to the Arab League secretariat general, Mohamed Sobieh, the undersecretary general for Middle East politics at the Brazilian Foreign Office, Paulo Cordeiro de Andrade Brito, 38 ambassadors and other diplomats. The session featured two cultural performances: one from the Palestinian folk group Al Kofyia and another from Egypt’s Tannoura group.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
