São Paulo – The Palestinian Minister of Religious and Islamic Affairs, Mahmoud Al-Habbash, told ANBA on Monday (2) that Brazil plays an influential role on the global stage and that this influence can be leveraged to garner more support for the Arab country’s causes.
Al-Habbash, along with the Palestinian ambassador and dean of the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil, Ibrahim Alzeben; Al-Habbash’s advisor, Hamza Daana; Judge Maher Khudeir; and the embassy’s minister-counselor, Ahmed Al Assad, visited the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) on Monday morning. They were welcomed by the institution’s president, Osmar Chohfi, and secretary-general and vice president of international relations, Mohamad Mourad.
Al-Habbash reiterated that Palestine seeks to join the BRICS group of developing countries, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Ethiopia.
“Palestine has good relations with all the countries in the group. China, South Africa, and Russia are historically friendly nations to the Palestinian people. We have requested membership in the group and submitted a request to join the NDB (New Development Bank, the BRICS bank),” he said, noting that while BRICS is an economic cooperation bloc, economics and politics cannot be separated.
The minister also said that Palestine seeks a “just peace” in the Middle East and advocated for the existence of two states: Israel and Palestine. He added that the president of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, is expected to visit Brazil in the second half of 2025, noting that Abbas and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva share a good personal relationship.
During his visit to Brazil to attend the 37th Annual Conference of Latin American and Caribbean Muslims, held from November 29 to last Sunday (1), Al-Habbash was scheduled to meet with São Paulo authorities on Monday as well. In the afternoon, he was set to meet with the State Secretary of Government and Institutional Relations of São Paulo Gilberto Kassab, along with State Representative Maurici Morais, who chairs the International Relations Committee at the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
