Emergency BRICS summit on Gaza today

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, November 20

China has announced the convening of a BRICS extraordinary virtual summit on Tuesday on the Hamas-Israel conflict. The Chinese Foreign Ministry made the declaration about the summit shortly after Arab and Muslim ministers met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

But Israeli Ambassador to Beijing Irit Ben-Abba said she hoped there would not be “any statements from this visit about a ceasefire, now is not the time.”

The summit will be chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the current chair of the BRICS group, said an announcement from Johannesburg. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also participate in the meeting as will leaders of some other, especially invited countries.

BRICS countries include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Beijing was the first port of call for a mega delegation of senior diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Palestine, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, among others, as they plan to tour world capitals to push for an end to hostilities and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza Strip. It is likely to give India a miss but will meet officials from all the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. India made no official comment on the announcement from Beijing.

UN Secy-Gen to participate in meeting

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also participate in the meeting as will leaders of some other, especially invited, countries
• Israeli Ambassador to Beijing Irit Ben-Abba said she hoped there would not be “any statements on a ceasefire”