“This time it was started by someone from your side”: words of Marcelo to the head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, told the head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Portugal this Friday that some Palestinians “should not have started” a war with Israel and advised them to behave in a moderate and peaceful manner.

“This time it was someone on your side who started it. You shouldn’t have done it,” said the Portuguese head of state in a dialogue with Nabil Abuznaid 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 the words of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

“If we want to be fair, we must condemn the violence on both sides, at least, and condemn the occupation, which is the root of the problem. If we want to be fair. And the president repeated the ’07 attack five times. press time is here [de outubro], but did not mention the residents of Gaza. This is unfair,” Nabil Abuznaid told reporters.

Walking past the Palestine stand, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa greeted Nabil Abuznaid, who thanked the Portuguese head of state for visiting at this “very difficult time.”

The President of the Republic agreed that “this is a difficult period,” adding: “But, you know, I think that a lot will depend on you. You must be an example of moderation.”

Marcelo Rebelo de Souza said that the October 7 Hamas attack on Israeli territory does not contribute to the struggle for a sovereign state of Palestine. “You have to be moderate, otherwise you will lose your mind,” he emphasized.

The head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Portugal noted that “the response of the Israeli military was brutal” and said that “the occupation must end.”

“That’s a different matter. The fact that there are no two states yet does not mean that you can attack innocent people the way you did – some of you,” Marcelo responded to Rebelo de Souza, noting that he was not confusing “an attack with a desire for peace for the Palestinian people as a whole.”

Nabil Abuznaid called for an end to the war: “We must stop this war now, more people are dying.”

Marcelo Rebelo de Souza advised Palestinians to be “calm and reasonable”, to be “cautious, reasonable and peaceful”, arguing that “otherwise things will get worse for everyone” and that “radicalism creates an atmosphere of radicalism.”

“And this time, radicalism began on the part of some Palestinians, of course, a group,” the president of the republic continued.

The head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission objected that “this does not justify Israel’s brutal response” in the Gaza Strip, and said that “ten thousand people died.”

“Yes, I know you blame Israel for this. But this time it was someone on your side who started it. You shouldn’t have done this,” the President of the Republic retorted.

When Nabil Abuznaid mentioned the “56-year occupation,” Marcelo Rebelo de Souza responded in the same way: “I know, but they should not have started.”

Neither Israel nor the United States of America has a stand at this Diplomatic Bazaar, which began today in Lisbon.

The Islamist group Hamas, classified as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States of America and controlling the Gaza Strip, launched an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on October 7, killing and kidnapping soldiers and civilians, including children.

According to the Israeli government, Hamas killed more than 1,400 people in Israel and took about 220 hostages, four of whom were later released.

The Israeli military responded to the Hamas attack with bombings and cutting off supplies of water, food, electricity and fuel to the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million people, warning the enclave’s population they would be in danger if they did not move south. .

Gaza authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 9,000 people, including more than 3,000 children.