Demonstration in front of the Army in São Paulo demands military embargo and the end of trade relations with Israel

Brasil de Fato

Militants and activists against the Palestinian genocide in the Gaza Strip held a protest in the city of São Paulo on Wednesday (3) calling for the cancellation of contracts signed between the Brazilian government and Israeli arms companies.

The demonstration started at 5 pm in front of the Southeast Military Command headquarters as part of the National Day for the Definitive Suspension of Military Agreements with Israel.

“Every cent that goes to Israel is daily applied to massacre of Palestinians. The disengagement seeks to spare the lives of Palestinian kids, women and the elderly. We came to demand President Lula remain firm and go as far as breaking off relations with Israel. It’s not enough just to condemn the massacres and recognize [the Israeli actions as] genocide. It has to be a concrete and crucial action: an arms embargo and the end of all kinds of trade with Israel,” argues Mohamed El Kadri, president of the Latin Palestinian Forum and coordinator of the Palestinian Front of São Paulo.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement’s campaign for a military embargo held a national mobilization day on July 3. One of the movement’s main demands is the definitive suspension of a purchase worth around BRL 1 billion (US$ 181,8 million) by the Brazilian Army. It had decided to buy 36 armored combat vehicles, known as howitzers, from Israel’s Elbit Systems, one of the largest manufacturers of weapons and military systems in Israel.

“We cannot accept that these 36 howitzers arrive in Brazil stained with Palestinian blood that continues to be spilled. We are here to call for this not to happen and for a military embargo on Israel as a step towards breaking off all economic, military and diplomatic relations with the genocidal state of Israel,” says Soraya Misleh, coordinator of the Front in Defense of the Palestinian People in São Paulo.

After it was revealed that the deal was about to be closed, a huge outcry called for its cancellation, an action that involved people such as Brazilian singer and writer Chico Buarque. The signing of the contract was then suspended for 60 days.

The Israeli government uses weapons manufactured by the company to attack Palestine in an offensive that has killed around 37,000 Palestinians since October 2023. In the bidding process, the Israeli company was preferred over companies from France, China and Slovakia. The reason for the choice was the existence of Elbit’s subsidiaries in Brazil, which could guarantee ammunition supply and logistical support.

“It is unacceptable that governments and companies are profiting from military transactions on weapons that are tested daily on the bodies of Palestinians. That’s why the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement is [MST, in Portuguese] also here to say loud and clear with the BDS movement that the time has come for sanctions. The Lula government needs to take an effective stance. We need to cut off diplomatic relations and launch an international campaign for a military embargo on this aggressive, colonialist and genocidal state,” says Rafael Soriano, from the MST.

The Ministry of Defense told Brasil de Fato that the Army is responsible for the purchase. When contacted, the Army said that the 60-day suspension “occurred due to the need to carry out internal procedures for formal and legal analysis of the draft of the contract mentioned above by the Brazilian Army, as provided for in the legislation.”

Neither the Ministry of Defense nor the Army have said whether they will go ahead with the purchase of Israeli weapons.