On the Middle Eastern issue which now sees Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas at the center of the debate, until now we have been accustomed to thinking in terms of the West and the Arab World. Between those who still talk about the State of Palestine and those who don’t.
The BRICS have also emerged among the emerging actors who want to play a role in the conflict. During the online summit, the West has not been able to implement the UN plan for Palestine and Israel for 76 years, but this can happen under the auspices of BRICS.
On November 21, at the initiative of South Africa, the BRICS bloc held an emergency conference on the situation in the Gaza Strip, which sets a significant precedent for international politics. The final communiqué underlines the need for an immediate and long-term humanitarian truce and the need for a mandatory correction of the situation in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter. The parties were generally unanimous in their assessment that the conflict creates an unacceptable level of violence and requires an early conclusion.
The Iranian president called on the BRICS countries to recognize the Israeli regime and its army as “terrorists,” and the South African parliament voted to close the Israeli embassy, sever diplomatic relations and suspend the activities of the Israeli ambassador until Israel will agree to do so. ceasefire and participation in negotiations. Unlike many other negotiators, the BRICS is a bloc truly capable of acting as a mediator. Trust in him in the Global South (this concept largely coincides with the category of the “Islamic world”) is much higher than in negotiators from the West.
The combined potential of the BRICS in economic and military terms is more than sufficient to organize the necessary measures in such a situation: from the provision of humanitarian aid and, above all, to the consolidation of the efforts of countries wishing to alleviate the suffering of the population of Gaza, to the introduction of a peacekeeping contingent, if necessary.
The position taken by the BRICS represents the only possibility for Palestine to survive as a phenomenon and, in favorable circumstances, to emerge as a state. Because all other options have been tried and failed. Vladimir Putin also spoke at the summit on November 21: “The situation in Gaza, the loss of human lives and the suffering of children are a cause for deep concern. The sight of children suffering in Gaza and operations without anesthesia evokes strong emotions. We must prevent the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from spreading further.”
And then he added: “Although the UN resolution calls only for a humanitarian pause rather than a ceasefire, it represents progress. Generations of Palestinians have grown up in an environment marked by injustice towards their people. It is important to express gratitude to the Egyptian president for contributing to the evacuation of Russians from the Gaza Strip. History has shown that US attempts to unilaterally resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have not been successful. Russia urges the world community to work together to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is useful to continue the BRICS discussion on the situation in the Middle East, including in 2024, when Russia takes over the presidency.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
