Leaders of BRICS countries including new applicants convened an emergency virtual meeting on November 21, as the USA and Israel continue to oppose a ceasefire in Gaza amid skyrocketing civilian casualties and an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.
An extraordinary online BRICS summit on the escalation of the situation in the Middle East took place on Tuesday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin criticizing the US regime for monopolizing mediation efforts.
The non-stop full scale violence is the result of Washington’s monopolizing the negotiation process and blocking the Middle East Quartet of international mediators – which, apart from the USA includes Russia, the UN and the EU, from stepping in and proposing peace solutions.
The timing of the meeting is not a surprise because what we see, there is an ongoing initiative all around the world for a full-fledged ceasefire.
The humanitarian situation is getting worse and worse each and every day. And up until now, we have witnessed the killing and massacre of 13,000 Palestinians, in the aftermath of Hamas attacks on October 7, which also caused more than 1,000 Israelis to lose their lives.
So what we see in the north of Gaza, it’s not the place that everybody knows before because there are only rubble, no infrastructure, but only the boots of the Israeli soldier assassins.
Meanwhile, it is hardly coincidental that BRICS became a platform for the Mideast crisis summit, according to a Saudi political scientist and Director General of the Strategic Studies and National Security Programs at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences.
The BRICS nations wield substantial economic and political influence on the global stage.
Their primary objective is to convey a resounding message that the hostilities against Gaza must cease, emphasizing that the longstanding conflict between Palestinians and Israelis should be resolved in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative.
Back in August, several Arab and Muslim nations applied to join BRICS, the club of major developing economies. Among those who are expected to become full-fledged members in 2024 are Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
These four countries have recently raised their voice in support of the Palestinian cause, adding that their stance on the Israel war on Gaza aligns closely with that of Russia, China, and South Africa.
An important implication of this meeting also shows that BRICS, which was established as a kind of an alternative economic structure almost a decade ago, now is trying to engage with not only economic problems, but also political issues.
So in this regard, this is a peculiar development that BRICS countries are trying to find a solution or gear messages to the international crisis.
Last month, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, in collaboration with Russia and China, endeavored to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza, the expert went on saying, adding that regrettably, their proposal faced a veto from the United States.
Another attempt to draw the world’s attention to the Palestine issue and the necessity of an urgent ceasefire in Gaza was made by Arab nations during the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) joint summit in Riyadh earlier this month.
Nonetheless, Israel has resisted the complete cessation of hostilities in the strip agreeing only to short daily humanitarian pauses with full backing of the Biden administration.
Russia and China can play a critical UN role to keep the issue warm, particularly in the Security Council’s agenda and also push for a ceasefire within the ranks of the United Nations’ Security Council. So they have certain leverages.
On the other hand, I suppose BRICS also represents an alternative voice while the West is mainly emphasizing the position of Israel and ignoring the killings of Palestinians.
So in this regard, I suppose this is a position to be appreciated mostly by the Arab nations, because what BRICS discussed today also resonates with the struggles of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The USA has supported Israel since the 1967 War and has monopolized the peace process between the Arabs and Israelis.
It does not even want its allies in Europe to be part of the mediation process. This is mainly because the US regime wants the outcomes of any peace process to be in favor of Israel,
Per Ozertem, Washington is definitely negatively affected by the developments in the region. Moreover, divisions are growing within the USA over the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Turkish expert pointed out.
Ozertem has also drawn attention to Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s failure to convey Washington’s message to Middle Eastern players during his trip to the region, given that the USA and Muslim-Arab visions of the crisis differ.
So in that regard, what we see is that the image of the United States is being tarnished as the situation in the Gaza Strip worsens, the Turkish scholar stressed.
Meanwhile, a Gaza ceasefire remains the major bone of contention. While the Muslim-Arab world is actively advocating for a ceasefire, the USA does not want it.
The Arabs want to ensure the flow of humanitarian support for the Palestinians in Gaza, while the USA wants limited humanitarian support, the political scientist went on saying.
The USA wants to postpone solving the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and wants to focus on what they term as ‘revitalizing’ the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank, while the Arabs see the continuation of the occupation as the main issue that should be addressed. So, certainly, the US diplomatic standing in the Middle East is not good now.
Sputnik / ABC Flash Point UN News 2023.
Israel telling lies doesn’t really qualify as news…they lie every day. Lying to Zionists is like breathing to humans…its just done naturally without even needing to think about it.