Minister says that pro-Hamas letter is used in a “wrongful” way by those who want political disputes

The Minister of the Secretariat of Social Communication (Secom), Paulo Pimenta (PT-RS), stated this Wednesday (11) that the pro-Hamas letter, signed in 2021 by him and other PT members, “has been used in an absolutely wrong way” by people trying to promote “political dispute”. The manifesto came to light after the Lula government did not classify the Hamas group that has been attacking Israel since last Saturday (7) as terrorist. Hamas’ actions started a war in the region.

Pimenta said that it is up to the United Nations Security Council (UN) to define the concept of a terrorist organization and that Brazil follows the entity’s understanding. “In reality, this manifesto has been used in an absolutely wrong way by people who try at any time to turn things into a political dispute, as if that were the centrality of our concern. Our concern today is the promotion of peace”, said the minister in interview with GloboNews.

In addition to Pimenta, the chief minister of the Institutional Relations Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Alexandre Padilha (PT-SP), also signed the letter. Asked if he had changed his position after the extremist group’s attack on Israel, the minister highlighted that he follows the understanding of the Brazilian government.

“Brazil has a historical position, there is a delegation, a competence to inform this concept of terrorist organization throughout the world and there is an understanding on the part of all countries that the UN Security Council is responsible for defining this. Brazil , historically, has always respected and followed the Council’s position”, he pointed out.

The manifesto was motivated by a declaration from the British government in 2021, which had the support of the United States and European Union countries. In it, the signatories criticized the UK’s classification of the “Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas” as a “terrorist organisation”.

During the interview, Pimenta alleged that the document had been used to hinder the arrival of humanitarian aid during the pandemic in Gaza. For the minister, “wanting to link a gesture on our part to avoid cutting humanitarian aid to a dramatic situation in Gaza during the pandemic and trying to link this with what is happening now is, at the very least, intellectual dishonesty.”

“Our concern cannot be based on what the opposition would like us to say. Yesterday, we had a regrettable session in the Chamber of Deputies, it is as if the electoral process would never end, every fact serves to fuel hate speech and indolence, We have to turn this page,” said Pimenta.

“We cannot change [a classificação do Hamas]depending on a specific situation, [por] a historical position, which has even been fundamental for Brazil to be recognized as a protagonist country in the possibility of building agreements for international conflicts”, added the minister regarding the opposition’s criticism regarding the classification of the extremist group.

Pimenta stated that Brazil “condemned from the outset every act of violence against civilian populations.” The minister stated that the government currently has two priorities: helping to build peace with Brazil’s dialogue at the UN and guaranteeing the lives and repatriation of Brazilians in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.