Portugal defends international recognition of Palestine at UN

Portugal’s permanent representative to the UN, Ana Paula Zacarias, considers international recognition of Palestine at the UN “very important”, admitting that she is convinced that this “dossier will develop” even after opposition from North America.

“It is very important to continue to support the two-state solution. Only this solution, only a peaceful resolution to this conflict, which has been going on for so many years, can bring peace to the Middle East. “a state decision, we must effectively have two states,” the diplomat emphasized in an interview with Lusa in New York.

“That’s why international recognition of Palestine here at the UN is very important. The vote in the General Assembly was quite broad: 143 countries for recognition of Palestinian rights and an urgent request for the Security Council to re-examine this dossier as soon as possible,” added the ambassador, who will leave her post this month.

In an interview with Lusa ahead of Spain, Ireland and Norway’s announcement of joint recognition of the State of Palestine, Ana Paula Zacarias referred to the resolution adopted on May 10 at the UN General Assembly, in which the vast majority of 143 countries, including Portugal, referred to the resolution adopted on May 10 at the General Assembly UN. – granted “additional rights and privileges” to Palestine and called on the Security Council to positively reconsider its request for full membership in the organization while it retains “observer state” status.

Upgrading the status of a member state is not in the hands of the General Assembly, but rather the Security Council, which on April 18 denied it to Palestine due to an exceptional veto by the US, which promised to once again block the Palestinian aspiration if the topic was voted on again.

However, taking into account the efforts being made on the ground by a group of countries, the Portuguese diplomat said she was “convinced” that this “dossier will develop safely,” hoping that this development will effectively lead to the creation of two states: Israel. and Palestine.

Ana Paula Zacarias stressed that Portugal has always rejected the Hamas attack on Israel, continues to demand the unconditional release of the hostages and recognizes Israel’s right to self-defense.

“But Portugal has also taken a very clear position, saying that the Palestinian population as a whole cannot be punished for this situation” and that “it is necessary that international law and the rights of these people be taken into account,” he said. strengthened by asserting that “Israel must respect international humanitarian law.”

“Let us therefore hope that it will soon be possible (…) to find a solution for peace in the Middle East, which clearly involves a two-state solution, one of which will certainly be Palestine,” the ambassador insisted.

However, on the day when three European countries – Spain, Ireland and Norway – announced that they would recognize the State of Palestine on May 28, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa considered that now was “not the right time.” for recognizing Palestine, even though he clearly defends a two-state solution.

A Foreign Ministry source also told Lusa that Portugal remains willing to recognize Palestine as a state, but is trying to achieve the greatest possible consensus among European Union (EU) members.

Looking at the EU position, Ana Paula Zacarias reflected on the bloc’s divisions on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East (there is no common position on the latter), acknowledging her concerns about eliminating “the idea that there could be ‘dual’ conflicts.” standards’ [duplicidade de critérios]”.

“The European Union wants to be seen – and its member states – to always support peaceful solutions, a just peace, a dignified peace, a peace that makes possible the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, where we have an occupier, an aggressor power, clearly defined by the courts and Therefore, it is necessary to defend the rights of a country that was captured and enslaved here. In the case of Palestine, the issues are different,” he said.

“However, we have also said many times that Israel can no longer establish settlements on Palestinian territory. Israel must behave within the framework of international law. There are elements here that can be considered together and that allow EU countries to act together in a coordinated manner on this issue,” he said.

Ana Paula Zacarias also said that the fact that there is a war in the Middle East cannot lead to the oblivion of the conflict in Ukraine, “especially now” when Russian troops have launched a major offensive in the Kharkiv region, in northeastern Ukraine. a country.