Israel has transformed the right to defense into the right to revenge, criticizes Lula

In his speech during the opening of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, President Lula criticized the course of the War in the Middle East.

According to Lula, what is being seen in Gaza and the West Bank is one of the biggest humanitarian crises in recent history. He also expressed concern about the dangerous expansion of the conflict into Lebanon. Last Monday (23), the Israeli army launched more than 300 missiles into the neighboring country.

For the president, “what began as a terrorist action by fanatics against innocent Israeli civilians, has become collective punishment for the entire Palestinian people.”

Read more: Israel’s action against Palestinians is “ethnic cleansing in the 21st century”

Lula highlights that excessive actions have already claimed the lives of more than 40 thousand people, the majority of whom are women and children.

“The right to defense has become the right to revenge, which prevents an agreement for the release of hostages and postpones the ceasefire,” he laments.

The president’s statements (check out the full speech here) come against a backdrop of heightened Israeli rhetoric, which is increasingly moving away from a ceasefire agreement.

Read more: Israel launches biggest attack on Lebanon since October 7; war imminent

On the contrary, despite international pressure for an agreement and fruitless negotiations that appear to be a charade by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel has begun a new phase of the conflict with the attack on Lebanon and, apparently, on Hezbollah’s pagers. This latest situation is classified by many analysts as a war crime and terrorism, if the State of Israel’s role in the case is confirmed.

See the full excerpt of Lula’s speech regarding the conflict:

In Gaza and the West Bank, we are witnessing one of the greatest humanitarian crises in recent history, which is now spreading dangerously into Lebanon.

What began as a terrorist action by fanatics against innocent Israeli civilians has become a collective punishment for the entire Palestinian people.

There are more than 40 thousand fatal victims, mostly women and children.

The right to defense has become the right to revenge, which prevents an agreement for the release of hostages and postpones the ceasefire.