New York, September 23 (QNA) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva affirmed that peace cannot be achieved with impunity, emphasizing that nothing justifies the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

In his address to the high-level General Debate of the UN General Assembly's 80th session, currently being held in New York, da Silva said that tens of thousands of children and women were buried in Gaza, and that international law and the myth of Western morality were also buried there. He emphasized that the Palestinian people face the risk of disappearance and will only survive in an independent state.

In this context, he criticized the use of starvation as a weapon in the war on Gaza, and the obstruction of UN resolutions on the Strip due to a "single veto."

The Brazilian president added that the genocide being perpetrated against the Palestinians cannot be justified, emphasizing that the authority of the United Nations is at stake and that unilateral interventions have become the dominant feature of international politics.

He addressed other international issues, emphasizing that the climate crisis must be at the heart of the United Nations' work, noting that 2024 was the hottest year in recorded history, and calling for urgent international commitment to address this crisis. He also called for alleviating global debt burdens and for the wealthy to contribute more financially than workers, noting that poverty is as much an enemy of democracy as extremism.

The Brazilian president emphasized that Brazil had sent a clear message that democracy and sovereignty were not negotiable, and that the Brazilian people had chosen to defend their democratic gains after decades of dictatorial rule. He reiterated his call for comprehensive reform to ensure greater justice in addressing issues of security, peace, and development at the international level. (QNA)