New Delhi: Foreign ministers of the BRICS grouping met here Friday and reaffirmed their support for the establishment of an independent and viable State of Palestine within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The meeting also described the Gaza Strip as an inseparable part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and reiterated commitment to a two-state solution based on international law.
BRICS is an intergovernmental grouping of major emerging economies that originally included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In recent years, the bloc has expanded to include additional member states. BRICS foreign ministers meet regularly to discuss global peace and security, economic cooperation, trade, and multilateral diplomacy.
The two-state solution envisions the creation of two sovereign states, Palestine and Israel, within the territory of historic Palestine. The pre-1967 borders refer to the armistice lines that existed before the 1967 6-Day War. Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
The Palestinian Authority was established under the Oslo Accords during the 1990s and administers parts of the West Bank. The West Bank and the Gaza Strip constitute the two principal Palestinian territories. Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has experienced blockade conditions and repeated armed conflicts amounting to genocide.
The BRICS foreign ministers called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, the release of hostages, and unrestricted humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by the conflict.
The ministers also reaffirmed support for full United Nations membership for the State of Palestine, linking Palestinian statehood to the implementation of the internationally recognised two-state solution framework.
