The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was confronted this Sunday by a group of protesters in front of the Belém Palace following controversial statements by the head of state on Palestine.
“You must be ashamed. You are not a commentator, you are the president of the entire Portuguese people. You talk too much,” one protester said.
Marcelo responded by saying that Portugal condemns the terrorist attack but supports the creation of a Palestinian state.
When asked whether genocide was taking place in the Gaza Strip, the President of the Republic emphasized that “there has not yet been any reaction to the attack, and he has already said that humanitarian law must be respected.”
“I would even say more: democracy must operate within the framework of democracy, even in times of war,” he said after several protesters criticized him for what he told the head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Portugal on Friday that some Palestinians “should not have started” this war with Israel, advising them to be moderate and peaceful.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa confirmed today that “the position of Portugal remains the same and will remain the same.”
“We stand and will stand strong in support of Engineer Guterres and the position he has taken, which is the position of the United Nations, which we just voted for in the last resolution, which had 120 votes in favor, 47 abstentions and only 14 votes against – “at the same time, many EU countries, but Portugal have always been on the side of the position that says: there is a right to have a Palestinian state,” he emphasized.
Let us recall that on Friday the President of the Republic told the head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Portugal that some Palestinians “should not have started” this war with Israel, and advised them to behave moderately and peacefully.
“This time it was someone on your side who started it. You should not have done this,” the Portuguese head of state said in a dialogue with Nabil Abouznaid in English during a visit to the Diplomatic Bazaar at the Lisbon Congress Center. .
At the end of the conversation, the head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Portugal expressed disappointment with Marcelo’s words.
Author: morning Post This Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.