São Paulo – The ties between Palestine and Latin American countries are the agenda of the conference Palestine & Latin America in the 21st century: building solidarity for national rights. The event will take place on August 22nd in London, United Kingdom, is free of charge, and registrations are open.
The conference is organized by the Middle East Monitor (Memo), an institute devoted to spreading information on the Palestinian issue through the media. “The Latin America and Palestine Conference will seek to provide an understanding of the past and present relationship between Latin America and Palestine and look at how this relationship will come to be developed and what effect it will have on the Palestinian question,” explains Memo’s Events and Press Officer Yasmina Allouche.
According to her, the conference also intends to “foster greater Latin American-European-Palestinian collaboration in civil society, politics and media, improve understanding of 21 century transformations taking place in Latin America and Palestine’s ongoing struggle against neo-imperialism.”
Lecturers will include Brazil’s Arlene Clemesha, a professor of Arab History and Culture of the University of São Paulo (USP); Carlos Latuff, cartoonist and activist for the Palestinian cause; and Pedro Charbel, coordinator of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement against Israel in Brazil. The event will also feature speakers from Ecuador, Cuba, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Lebanon and other countries.
“At this critical juncture for the Palestinian people’s struggle for self-determination, the importance of Latin America’s relationship with Palestine is ever more important. The attack on Gaza in the summer of 2014 brought on a wave of Palestinian solidarity across Latin American countries, with some going so far as to expel Israeli diplomats and recalling their ambassadors from Israel,” says Allouche regarding the connection between Palestine and Latin American countries.
“As the international community edges towards an increasingly multi-polar world and with the advance of the Global South in the international arena – those powers that have long dominated Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy are looking increasingly redundant. The importance of the Global South’s advance has been particularly exemplified by their involvement and support of Palestine at the United Nations,” she claims.
The conference will be divided into three panels: Latin America’s involvement with the Palestinian issue; regional perspectives; and public opinion, social movements and the Latin American media’s role in its portrayal of the Palestine-Israeli conflict.
Brazil
According to Allouche, over the past decade, Brazil emerged as a key player in the global power scenario, by initiative of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “The particular focus has been on its relations with neighbouring Latin American states as well as Brazil’s desire to engage in the international politics, and to develop ties, in the Middle East; exemplified by its desire to play a relevant role in the Israeli–Palestinian peace process” she says.
To her, the former president significantly increased the Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s visibility in Brazil, positioning Brazil as a mediator. “He hosted a series of ministerial visits by Israeli and Palestinian leaders during his eight years in office; and became the first Brazilian president to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories. Dilma Rousseff, has continued down the same path on the development of Brazil’s relations with the Palestine-Israel question which can continue to build in strength and prove a feasible partner in the peace process in the region,” says Allouche.
The Memo officer also points out that besides government support, Latin American countries also show solidarity towards the Palestinian people through civil society. “In countries where there is a large Palestinian presence, for example in Venezuela and Chile, the tools of social media, New Media and the Palestinian lobby has bought much societal awareness of the Palestinian question, also aided by governmental actions against Israel’s wars in Gaza in recent years,” she says.
According to Allouche, in a political scenario still dominated by the United States and some European countries, Latin American support to the Palestinian cause bears major relevance on the conflict.
“With many European countries choosing to finally recognise Palestinian statehood it is arguable that they are simply playing catch-up; many Latin American countries led by example last year in their response to Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip. Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela have all recognised Palestine as a state. Countries of the Global South are having an increasing influence in world politics, particularly at the UN and the Security Coucil. The presence of the Palestinian Diaspora in Latin-America has no doubt aided this relationship in defining a paradigm for cooperation between the peoples of both regions,” she says.
Palestine & Latin America in the 21st century: building solidarity for national rights
August 22nd from 9:30 am to 6 pm in London, United Kingdom
Free admission (150 openings)
Registrations are available at http://migre.me/qCFf9 until a week before the event
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
