BRICS nations have unanimously declared support for Palestine’s statehood while condemning Israel’s attacks on UN workers in Lebanon.
The declaration came on the first day of this year’s BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan. The summit is scheduled to continue until 24 October.
Leaders of BRICS called in a joint statement for an “independent and viable State of Palestine, under the internationally recognized borders of June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side in peace and security with Israel.”
The statement expressed “grave concern over the deteriorating situation and humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, in particular the unprecedented escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.” It also called for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of captives on both sides, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government have consistently blocked.
The summit comes as Israel is intensifying its siege on the north of Gaza, continuing deadly operations in the occupied West Bank, and is carrying a brutal campaign of airstrikes – as well as ground incursions – in Lebanon.
It also comes as Tel Aviv and Washington continue to stand in the way of Palestinian statehood.
Credit: The Cradle
