The head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Portugal said this Monday that he expected “words of sympathy” from Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa when he met with the Portuguese head of state and had a conversation about the conflict in the region.
“I was waiting for words of sympathy from the President of the Republic regarding the 10 thousand Palestinian civilians who died in the Gaza Strip, who were in no way involved in the conflict,” Nabil Abuznaid emphasized in an interview with RTP radio station.
Nabil Abouznaid added that he hoped to have a private conversation with Marcelo Rebelo de Souza, but the government official’s comments were “made in front of cameras.”
“I really wanted to hear words of sympathy, I respect the President of the Republic and I felt that he was going to tell me something about the misfortune of the Palestinian civilian population,” he insisted, adding that he had not spoken to the Palestinian population since that episode. Portugal again became head of state.
During a visit to the diplomatic bazaar at Lisbon’s Congress Center on Friday, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa 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 be moderate. and peaceful.
When Nabil Abuznaid mentioned the “56-year occupation,” the head of state replied: “I know, but they shouldn’t have started it.”
On Saturday, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he was surprised by the “resonance” his statements had generated.
“I don’t even understand all this fuss, I don’t understand. It was the Palestinian Ambassador who raised this issue, not me. It was he who said that the situation was very difficult and gave his reasons. In my comment I said: Please note that moderation is very important here. And then he said it was a shame that this case had to come from a certain party,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Souza.
On Sunday, speaking to reporters in the midst of a pro-Palestine rally outside the Belém Palace, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa confirmed that “Portugal’s position 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.
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas carried out a surprise attack on Israel on October 7 that killed more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and wounded about 5,000, as well as more than 200 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Israeli retaliation against the Gaza Strip began soon after, with cuts in food, water, electricity and fuel supplies, as well as daily bombings, followed by a ground offensive that ended the siege of Gaza City last Thursday.
The war between Israel and Hamas, which entered its 31st day today and continues to threaten to spread throughout the Middle East region, has so far resulted in the deaths of 10,022 people in the Gaza Strip, including more than 4,000 children, and more than 25,400 injured. and about 1.5 according to the latest report from local authorities.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.