The President of the Republic said this Wednesday that “the majority of Portuguese cannot help but condemn” the Hamas attack on Israeli territory and expressed concern about instability and radicalization in the region.
At the entrance to the initiative at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was asked about the position of the PKP after Saturday’s attack, which was criticized by the Israeli ambassador to Portugal, Don Shapira, who declined to comment.
“I never comment on party positions, neither in domestic policy nor in foreign policy. I express the position of the Portuguese state, as the government does when pursuing foreign policy,” the head of state replied.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa further stated that in the Assembly of the Republic “today this issue was discussed for the first time, and differences of opinion arose that are not new, they have happened in other conflicts.”
“But the most important thing is that I think the majority of Portuguese cannot help but condemn what happened,” he added.
According to the President of the Republic, there are above all reasons to be “very worried” about developments in this “very sensitive region of the globe, and also the closest to Europe,” where “no significant steps have been taken for a long time towards peace.”
“And our position is that there should be two different states. This is the position of the UN,” he emphasized.
The Islamic movement Hamas said more than 1,000 were killed and dozens of civilian and military hostages were taken in Saturday’s attack, which Israel responded to with bombings of the Gaza Strip that both sides said also killed more than 1,000 people.
Regarding the number of victims of Portuguese nationality, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that “according to some versions, one was killed, according to other versions, two Portuguese citizens,” and there are “several missing, apparently at least four.”
“It’s bad that in yet another hot spot on the globe we are retreating rather than advancing. Lately we have seen the paths to peace recede rather than advance. This is very worrying for everyone because it creates huge instability. all over the world because it has economic and financial consequences,” he lamented.
The President of the Republic noted that this region “has long been a central corner in relations between the great powers.”
Asked whether this war could reduce international support for Ukraine against the Russian Federation, he replied: “I don’t think so, because one of the consequences of what has happened is increased radicalization in this conflict as well.”
“In fact, deep down, a new conflict arises every time, and here, provoked by Hamas, it becomes even more unstable. And when there is instability and radicalization of positions, there are no negotiations, no diplomacy, there is confrontation. And therefore it increases confrontation wherever it exists,” he said.
On Sunday, the PKP issued a statement in which it considered that “events unfolding in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are the result of decades of occupation and Israel’s systematic disrespect for the right of the Palestinian people to sovereignty.” state and independent, in constant violation of all UN resolutions and international agreements on the question of Palestine.”
Without mentioning Hamas or referring specifically to Saturday’s attack, the PKP added that these are “events that are inseparable from the escalating policies of occupation, oppression and provocation carried out by the far-right Netanyahu government and Israeli settlers, which are not only responsible for the deterioration of the situation, as they leads to increased confrontation in the Middle East.”
The PKP reaffirmed the defense of a Palestinian state “with 1967 borders and its capital in East Jerusalem, as well as the implementation of the right of return of refugees in accordance with relevant UN resolutions.”
On the social network X, formerly Twitter, the Israeli ambassador to Portugal criticized the statement, accusing the PKP of “justifying the mass murder of Jewish children.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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