Palestine struck by regional turbulence - A Brazilian perspective

A unique event took place in Sao Paulo last Tuesday, as political figures, academics, activists, and the general public attended a special one-day conference on Brazil and Palestine.

‘Brazilian Perspectives on Palestine in a Changing Middle East’, a collaboration between Middle East Monitor (MEMO), the Centre for Arab Studies of the University of São Paulo (USP), USP’s Institute for International Relations, and Common Action Forum (Madrid) took place at USP’s main campus.

Timed to coincide with this year’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the aim of the gathering was to examine current perspectives and inform the political discourse on Palestine in Brazil; intellectually expose and unpack prevailing myths about Palestine; and energise public opinion to hasten the decolonisation of Palestine.

The conference, which attracted around 250 attendees throughout the day, opened with an address by Ambassador Lígia Scherer, a senior Brazilian diplomat who served as her country’s representative to Palestine 2007-2012.

The Ambassador gave a historic overview of Brazilian-Palestinian relations, and support offered by the Brazilian government over the years for various aspects of the Palestinian struggle. She emphasised Brasilia’s opposition to Israeli settlements and occupation, as well as the Gaza blockade.

Joining the Ambassador for the opening of the conference was Eduardo Suplicy, a veteran Brazilian politician and one of the founders of the Workers’ Party. Suplicy also addressed the meeting, expressing his desire for a peaceful resolution in Palestine.

The first full session, under the title “The unfinished business of decolonisation: Reinstating Palestine on to the world agenda”, featured presentations by London-based Palestinian historian Professor Nur Masalha, the director of USP’s Centre for Arab Studies, Arlene Clemesha, and British author and journalist Ben White. The panel was moderated by MEMO director Daud Abdullah.

The second session looked at “The rise of global civil society in the quest for Palestinian self-determination”, with a panel including Cecilia Baeza, Professor of International Relations, Catholic University of São Paulo, Pedro Charbel, Latin America campaigns coordinator for the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), and Shajar Goldwaser, a member of SEDQ, Global Jewish Network for Justice. Moderating was Soraya Misleh, doctoral candidate at USP.

The third and final panel, “Palestine: Shifting the paradigm from the hegemony of vested interest to genuine democracy”, featured presentations by Wadah Khanfar, President of the Common Action Forum and former director of the Al Jazeera Media Network, Christian Dunker, Professor at USP’s Institute of Psychology, and Hussein Kalout, researcher at Harvard and columnist for Folha de São Paulo newspaper.

“Our conference was, by any standards, a remarkable success”, said Daud Abdullah. “It generated huge interest from students and lecturers at USP, as well as the wider society. All this underscores the profound concern and unwavering support there is for the Palestinian cause in Brazil. We are confident that other academic institutions across the region will undertake similar initiatives to consolidate on what has been achieved so far.”

Arlene Clemesha described the conference as “unprecedented in Brazil, in terms of its scale and focus on Palestine.” She continued: “It was wonderful to see diverse participants and attendees, including diplomats, academics, students, activists and the general public, debating and discussing such a vital issue.”

Wadah Khanfar, who shared his personal reflections on Palestine and greater challenges and opportunities facing the region and the world, commented after the conference: “Permanent peace cannot be achieved unless both, oppressed and oppressor are liberated.”

The conference attracted coverage in local media, including some half dozen articles and TV interview, and was broadcast online in a live feed. Participants, including an academic who flew in from another state specifically to attend the conference, expressed their appreciation for the line-up of speakers, Q&A discussions, and chance to network with like-minded researchers and activists.