SAO PAULO LEBANESE AND MUSLIM REACTIONS TO EVENTS IN

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000782 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/WHA, DS/DSS/OSAC, WHA/BSC NSC FOR FEARS DEPT ALSO FOR WHA/PDA, DRL/PHD, DS/DSS/ITA BRASILIA FOR RSO AND LEGAT; RIO DE JANEIRO FOR RSO SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV SOCI ASEC PREL BR SUBJECT: SAO PAULO LEBANESE AND MUSLIM REACTIONS TO EVENTS IN LEBANON REF: (A) SAO PAULO 360; (B) SAO PAULO 779 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Federation of Muslims Associations in Brazil sent a letter to the Consul General in Sao Paulo expressing "immense concern" regarding the recent military actions conducted by Israel in Lebanon, especially as it affects Brazilians currently in Lebanon for tourism and to visit family. The letter calls on the United States to use "as much force as possible" to convince the Israeli Armed Forces to immediately cease its actions in Lebanon to avoid further injury to innocent civilians. We have also learned that a rally is planned for Wednesday, July 19 at 5:00 p.m. in front of the state legislature, organized by a multi-denominational group of Lebanese-Brazilians to call on the Brazilian government to take more action to help Brazilian citizens who are unable to leave Lebanon on their own. A rally is also scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on July 19 in the border city of Foz do Iguacu, "in solidarity with the Lebanese people." END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) The Consul General in Sao Paulo received a letter dated July 17 signed by Mohamed Hussein El Zoghbi, Director of the Federation of Muslims Associations in Brazil. The Federation, "in the name of the Brazilian Muslim and Arab communities" both in Brazil and in Lebanon, asks that the USG be made aware of the group's "immense concern" with the "violence, injustice and indiscriminate attacks" done by the "Government of Israel against the sovereign state of Lebanon." The letter goes on to describe the recent actions in Lebanon as "indiscriminately victimizing" innocent civilians and children, and focuses on Brazilians that are currently in Lebanon for holiday and visiting family. The letter calls the Israeli actions "totally unnecessary and abusive," and asks the Consul General to express the group's distress and complete disapproval of the "use of force, by any means, against innocent civilians." The group then asks the United States, "in the name of World Peace," to express with "as much force as possible" the sense that the "unjust attacks by the Israeli Armed Forces" should cease immediately to avoid further injury to innocent civilians. ¶3. (SBU) We have also learned that members of the greater Lebanese community in Sao Paulo (ref A) are planning a rally in front of the state legislature to occur on Wednesday, July 19 at 5:00 p.m. The goal of this rally seems to be to apply pressure on the Brazilian government to take more action to evacuate Brazilians currently in Lebanon. ¶4. (SBU) A prominent front-page advertisement appeared on July 18 in the local paper Gazeta do Iguacu calling for a rally in "solidarity with the people of Lebanon" to be held at 4:00 on July 19 at the Colegio Mitre Plaza, in Foz do Iguacu at the border of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. ¶5. (SBU) COMMENT: We continue to monitor events and reactions related to the current situation in Lebanon as per ref. B, and will report developments. END COMMENT. MCMULLEN