Costa refuses to confuse Hamas with the Palestinian people and recalls Guterres’ fight for Timor-Leste

The PS leader said this Saturday that it is impossible to confuse the terrorist movement Hamas and the Palestinian people, and recalled the struggle of António Guterres for the independence of Timor-Leste and the persistent defense of international law.

António Costa defended the actions of his “comrade” and current UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the very beginning of the speech he gave to the PS National Commission, which takes place at the Lisbon International Fair. (PHIL).

First, the Prime Minister began by emphasizing that Israel was the target of “barbaric terrorist attacks” by Hamas on the 7th.

Israel as such, according to António Costa, “has the right to defend itself and act militarily to deny Hamas the ability to repeat such attacks.” And politically and diplomatically, the Tel Aviv government “deserves full solidarity.”

However, according to the Prime Minister of Portugal, wars must be subject to international law.

“There is no war, be it in Ukraine or in the Gaza Strip, in which it is acceptable to disrespect international law,” he said, before citing Portugal’s experience in international conflicts, particularly in Timor-Leste, between 1975 and 1975 1999.

“Respect for international law goes against the rule of the strongest and ensures that the fundamental principles of the international community will always be preserved. Sometimes it takes time, but as long as we remain steadfast and consistent, one day we will eventually win,” he said, recalling Indonesia’s 1975 invasion of Timor-Leste.

António Costa noted that Portugal had for many years been virtually alone in defending Timor-Leste, and that the national diplomatic position had even caused some misunderstanding in most diplomatic circles.

“But Portugal never gave up its weapons. And if today Timor-Leste is an independent State, if its right to self-determination was recognized in 1999, it was because there has always been consistency in defending international law and at the forefront of this battle was the current Secretary-General of the United Nations, our Comrade Antonio Guterres,” he noted, receiving prolonged applause.

Referring to António Guterres’s controversial speech at the Security Council, in which he argued that the Hamas attack did not come out of nowhere, the current Prime Minister of Portugal once again defended the UN Secretary: in general, as well as Portugal’s consistency in conducting its foreign policy. politicians.

“With the same legitimacy with which, in the first hours of February 24, 2022, we unequivocally condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine – and since that day we have not negotiated financial, humanitarian or military support – we have similarly condemned the brutal actions of Hamas. attack on Israel, with the same conviction and authority we declare that the right to defense must be exercised in strict compliance with humanitarian law, international law and that it is impossible to confuse a terrorist group with the Palestinian people,” added Antonio Costa.