CAIRO: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that the United Nations has failed to resolve international conflicts and harshly criticised Israeli actions in Gaza.
"Israel's behaviour has no explanation: with the pretext of fighting Hamas, it is killing women and children," he said after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi.
Speaking later to the Arab League, Lula said Brazil had condemned the attack on Israeli civilians on October 7, but he added that the Israel's response was "disproportional and indiscriminate" and unacceptable.
Lula said there would not be peace without the establishment of a Palestinian state and called for an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
"The killing must be stopped," he said.
The Brazilian leader said Palestine should be recognised as a sovereign state and admitted to the United Nations as a full member, and he called for reform of the UN Security Council.
"The multilateral institutions that were created to help solve these problems do not work, which is why Brazil is committed to making the necessary changes in global governance bodies, and we hope to count on Egypt's support," he said.
Lula said the permanent Security Council should be expanded and its veto powers abolished. "It is the permanent members of the Security Council that foment wars," he said.
Brazil has supported South Africa's case brought before the International Court of Justice against the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, he added.
The leftist president, who's on his third non-consecutive term, also announced his government will make a new contribution to the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), which is
facing a cash crunch after Israel alleged that 12 of its 13,000 staff in Gaza were involved in the October 7 attack.
"The recent allegations against the agency's staff need to be properly investigated, but they cannot paralyse it," he said, calling other countries "to maintain and increase their contributions."
The UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Thursday that the cash crunch it is facing next month will get far worse in April if it cannot secure fresh funding or convince donors to resume suspended contributions.
Unrwa chief Philippe Lazzarini was speaking in Dublin, where Ireland announced 20 million euros in support for the agency and urged countries that have suspended funding to "urgently rescind that decision" and resume and expand their support. — Reuters
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