Shaheen Delivers Lecture at Rio Branco Diplomatic Academy in Brasilia on the Latest Developments in Palestine

As part of her official visit to Brazil, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Varsen Aghabekian Shaheen, delivered a lecture at the Rio Branco Diplomatic Academy in Brasilia. The event was attended by a group of diplomatic students, as well as the Director of the Academy, Ambassador Mitzi da Costa, and the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Brazil, Ibrahim Al-Zeben.

Shaheen began her lecture by emphasizing that the Palestinian cause did not begin on October 7 but has its roots in the Nakba of 1948 and the subsequent forced displacement of the Palestinian people. She stressed that the suffering of Palestinians today is a continuation of more than seven decades of occupation and illegal Israeli practices.

She provided an update on the latest developments in Palestine, pointing out that Israel had violated the ceasefire agreement in the past 24 hours, resulting in the killing of over 500 Palestinians, the majority of whom were children. She emphasized that these violations reflect Israel’s systematic policies aimed at undermining prospects for peace and fueling instability in the region.
Shaheen also condemned Israel’s ongoing crimes, including killings, destruction, forced displacement, and arbitrary arrests. She stressed that the escalation of these assaults, in the absence of international accountability, exposes the double standards of the international community and emboldens the occupation to continue its atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Additionally, she provided an overview of the Palestinian government’s Relief and Early Recovery Plan designed to support Palestinians in Gaza as they face the devastation and displacement caused by the Israeli assaults. She underscored the importance of international efforts to support this plan and ensure an urgent humanitarian response.
The Minister reaffirmed the critical role of UNRWA in providing essential services to Palestinian refugees, stressing the need for sustained support to ensure the agency’s continued operations despite the mounting challenges it faces.

In concluding her lecture, the Minister discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts to convene an international peace conference aimed at reviving the political process based on international legitimacy. She stressed that achieving a just and comprehensive peace requires ending the Israeli occupation and the realization of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.