Lula on Middle Eastern "mission of peace"

While the Israeli government and the White House are at each other’s throats Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva started a crucial tour of the Middle East.

Lula became the first Brazilian leader to visit Israel earlier today with a vow "to talk about peace" for the region. Shortly before meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Lula added that he would back Israeli inclusion into the South American Mersocur trading bloc. With Brazil already serving as “Israel's largest trading partner in Latin America”, the Brazilian government has expressed optimism at the possible benefits of a recently signed bilateral free trade deal.

Lula will also meet with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and travel to Jordan as part of his tour. One of the subjects likely to be brought up will be his relation with Iran that some analysts and leaders view as a little too close. Yet Lula hopes that his “soft approach” towards Iran may break the impasse between leaders in Tehran and Western countries. Lula seemed to play down criticisms against him when speaking at the Knesset:

"Brazil is proud that there are no nuclear weapons in Latin America and we want this to be an example for other regions in the world," he said.

Lula also spoke of his vision for peace between Israel and its neighbors.

"In Brazil, 10 million Arabs live in harmony with thousands of Jews," he said. "We hope for this to be used as a metaphor for seeking deep understanding in the Middle East."

Whether Lula’s “mission of peace” is successful remains to be seen though it’s a welcome diplomatic step in a region fragmented by distrust and violence.

Image- PRESS TV (“Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is welcomed by Shimon Peres.‎”)
Online Sources- BBC News, BusinessWeek, etaiwannews.com, Reuters, The Citizen, Ha’aretz