BOGOTA, Colombia

At a high-level meeting on the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict held at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday, Brazil asserted that merely invoking international law "is not enough" and emphasized it must be "enforced with results."

Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, in his address, outlined concrete actions states can adopt "to ensure and promote compliance with international law," including "recognizing the state of Palestine and supporting its admission as a full UN member, upholding legal distinction between Israel and occupied Palestinian territories, opposing annexation and settlement expansion, and imposing targeted sanctions against violent settlers."

Vieira cautioned that "the credibility of international legal order depends on its non-selective application." He concluded by calling for "the political will and a robust follow-up process to this conference," urging attendees to "turn law into action and action into justice and peace."

Minister Vieira's participation in the UN meeting occurs amid an ongoing diplomatic crisis between Brazil and the US. This dispute was triggered by US President Donald Trump's recent threat to impose 50% tariffs on all Brazilian imports.

Trump accused Brazil of unfair treatment towards former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, labeling his ongoing treason trial a "witch hunt" and linking it to alleged trade injustices. Trump also sent a direct letter to Bolsonaro, reiterating his support and demanding an immediate end to the trial and what he termed a "ridiculous censorship regime."

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva strongly countered, asserting that "Brazil is a sovereign country, with independent institutions, that does not accept being controlled by anyone." He warned that any unilateral tariff increase on Brazilian exports would be met with the principle of economic reciprocity.

Lula also underscored that the legal case against Bolsonaro rests with an independent judiciary that operates under the rule of law. Bolsonaro, for his part, thanked Trump for the comments, characterizing the case against him as "clear political persecution."

Bolsonaro, who served as Brazil's president from 2019 to 2022, is currently on trial for allegedly plotting a coup against Lula following his election victory in 2022. He has already been barred from running for public office until 2030 due to false claims that Brazil's electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud.

If convicted on the coup allegations, the former president could face up to 40 years in prison. Bolsonaro denies all these allegations.