“This state of inaction is costing innocent lives,” Vieira said.
Top diplomats at the meeting, which included Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, presented their views on various geopolitical issues in a closed session to the media so that officials could express themselves more openly.
But by mistake, a small group of journalists, including from The Washington Post, were able to listen to the session because headphones continued to broadcast notes, without the knowledge of the Brazilian hosts.
Australia, a close ally of the United States, supported an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and strongly warned of “further destruction” that could result from the announced Israeli military campaign in the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians live. He sought shelter.
Australian representative Katie Gallagher said: “We say again to Israel: Do not go down this path.” “That would be inexcusable.”
South Africa, which accused Israel of carrying out genocide in Gaza, which Israel strongly denies, said world leaders had “allowed impunity to prevail.”
“We have failed the Palestinian people,” said Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.
The mistakenly broadcast remarks created a sharp contrast to the G20 meeting in India last year, where Blinken sought to unite world powers in condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. At the time, Blinken found a more receptive audience when he cited the UN Charter and principles of sovereignty to criticize Moscow's territorial seizure.
But in Brazil, diplomats have cited the same principles to criticize the war in Gaza, where the United States has provided Israel with political cover, bombs and military equipment worth billions of dollars.
The representative of South Africa said: “If, for example, we had been united behind the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, the tragedy in Palestine would not have lasted more than three months.”
Analysts said the contrast between Washington's global standing from year to year was stark.
“A year ago, the United States was putting Russia on the defensive over Ukraine,” said Richard Gowan, a multilateral expert at the International Crisis Group. “Now the Biden administration appears to be losing its grip on events in Ukraine and Gaza, and could lose its grip on the November elections as well.”
Among Latin American countries, the United States received a rare reprieve during the statements of Argentina, whose newly elected liberal leader, Javier Miley, is considered a strong supporter of Israel.
Although he acknowledged that the conflict had caused a “humanitarian catastrophe,” Argentina’s representative condemned “the terrorist acts carried out by Hamas” and demanded “the unconditional release of the hostages.”
US officials said they remain focused on working to achieve Brazil's G20 goals, including coordination on labor practices, climate change and food security. They said they hoped disagreements over Gaza would not derail those efforts, but comments made by the Brazilian president days before Blinken's arrival that compared the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza to the genocide of Jews during World War II presented another obstacle.
During a meeting Wednesday with the top US diplomat with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Blinken “made clear that we disagree with those comments,” said a senior State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter that lasted an hour and an hour. Half a discussion between the two leaders. “I would say the two had a frank exchange.”
As president of Latin America's most populous country and host of the G20, Lula has taken on an outsized role as a voice for the developing world when it comes to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, in both cases criticizing Washington's opposition to an immediate resolution. cease-fire.
The senior official said that Blinken made clear during the meeting his view that the United States does not support an immediate ceasefire because it would leave Hamas in place to repeat attacks against Israel.
US intelligence officials say Israeli forces have significantly weakened Hamas' capabilities, but they estimate they are no closer to eliminating the group after more than 100 days of war and the deaths of nearly 30,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza Health Ministry figures. The offensive began on October 7 after Hamas fighters swept through southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostage.
Lula spoke on Sunday about the large number of civilian casualties in the war, accusing Israel of carrying out “genocide” and comparing it to “when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media that Lula “downplays” the Holocaust and “is trying to harm the Jewish people and Israel's right to defend itself.”
Blinken conveyed to Lula US efforts to broker an agreement between Hamas and Israel that would lead to the release of prisoners in exchange for a humanitarian cessation of fighting and increased humanitarian aid.
