The session received input from leading human-rights and political figures, who examined the worsening landscape in the Palestinian territories, with a particular focus on Gaza and the West Bank. André Salmazo Bupel, an attorney and head of the Bar Association’s Human Rights Committee said that the Palestinian territories need urgent action on Israel violations. He framed the Palestinian question as one of the most enduring and severe human-rights crises globally and pointed to the persistent violence and harsh living conditions that continue to shape daily life for Palestinians.
Brazil’s ex-Foreign Minister, Francisco Rezek, stated that the global governance system has structural failures in managing humanitarian crises. Rezek, who served as a member of the International Court of Justice, cited the Gaza situation as evidence and asserted that the UN has consistently underperformed in conflict management. According to Rezek, accountability for human-rights violations in Gaza rests with the international community and major powers. He emphasised that international human-rights law must be enforced impartially, noting that durable political outcomes are impossible without credible enforcement mechanisms.
Rezek argued that UN leadership, from Secretary-General António Guterres to Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, attempted to uphold the institution’s core mandate of truth, dignity, and human rights. However, he described the UN’s inability to stop what he called “open-air genocide” as a consequence of structural defects in the UN Charter, specifically the veto power of permanent Security Council members.
“It has failed to stop the open genocide that has flooded Palestinian territory with blood. This failure was not due to the institution itself, but to structural defects in the UN Charter, which still allow the Security Council’s authority to be blocked by the use of the veto”, Rezek told MEMO.
He further contended that institutional paralysis was aggravated by European democracies’ passive alignment and by the United States’ strategic decisions, which he characterized as criminal, supportive of genocide, and deliberately harmful to the UN and international law. He claimed that in 2025 the US government attacked legal norms abroad and domestically, undermining both international law and its own constitutional framework.
Rezek framed the current situation as a collective moral and political shock with reputational costs for states and institutions. He argued that denial is no longer sustainable for those who enabled or ignored these developments. “The sacrifice of the Palestinian nation is the painful price the world pays for the awakening of the global conscience. The truth can no longer be hidden. The sellouts, the intimidated, and the fools of every kind can no longer convince themselves, or anyone else, that they are not obliged to feel shame.”
Rezek concluded that the temporary breakdown of the UN will not derail its long-term trajectory toward strengthening international law and advancing the broader human cause. “The temporary collapse of the United Nations will not impede its steady march toward a final victory, that of international law, and the cause of humanity”.
The parliamentary sessions highlight Brazil’s bid to position itself as a credible mediator in efforts to secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and advance humanitarian reconstruction. Lawmakers framed this role as an extension of the country’s long-standing diplomatic posture centered on peace-building, multilateral engagement, and international solidarity.
In parallel, local initiatives such as the public hearing in São Leopoldo point to growing domestic mobilisation around the conflict, reinforcing political pressure for accountability and civilian protection. Together, these actions signal Brazil’s increasing involvement in shaping both national and international discourse on the Palestinian cause.
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