‘BRICS should lead Gaza reconstruction with Palestinians,’ says president of the Palestinian Federation of Brazil

Brasil de Fato

The future reconstruction of the Gaza Strip – destroyed to the ground by Israel since October 7, 2023 – must be led by BRICS members and the Palestinians themselves, without the participation of Western powers. That is the opinion of Ualid Rabah, president of the Arab-Palestinian Federation of Brazil (FEPAL, in Portuguese).

In an exclusive conversation with Brasil de Fato, Rabah described as positive Brazil’s actions in the face of the Israeli massacre against Gaza and highlighted the active role the country can play in efforts to rebuild the Palestinian enclave.

“The reconstruction of Gaza cannot remain under a Western monopoly. That is no longer possible. Nothing that concerns Palestine can be led by the West, especially the United States. Therefore, our effort is for Brazil to lead among BRICS countries or to make an effort in this direction,” he said.

Since the beginning of the recent massacre, in October last year after attacks by Hamas targeting Israel, more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in Gaza, which has also destroyed several crucial infrastructure sites that are important for maintaining life in the territory.

“It’s an attempt to prompt the collapse of the reproductive capacity of an entire society. This is a new kind of genocide, one that has never been seen before,” said Rabah.

The president of Fepal also mentioned the active role of Chinese diplomacy, which brokered a historic deal between Hamas, Fatah and 12 other Palestinian organizations in search of unity. “There needs to be Palestinian unity, and that’s where China’s role comes in. Palestine and the Palestinians must find a way to reconcile all their political and social forces. And not just partisan organizations or what we call resistance,” he said.

In financial terms, Rabah mentions the figures quoted by the European Union, which estimated an investment of 90 billion dollars to rebuild Gaza. For him, there should be support from the UN and a community of countries from the so-called Global South, but without the participation of the West.

“Gaza must be fully rebuilt and its blockade must end. All of this must take place in a process of recognizing the State of Palestine, within an internal Palestinian consensus and an international consensus, based on agreed rules. These rules must include Palestinians’ right of return. Without this, there will be no peace, either for Palestinians or for those who have become Israelis,” he said.