The companies Google and Meta confirmed to the Bloomberg agency that they will not participate in the event, which will take place in Lisbon in November, along with other companies such as Intel and Siemens, following calls from Israeli businessmen related to technologies.
Paddy Cosgrave wrote a message on the social network X (formerly Twitter) on October 13 that resulted in a wave of criticism. “I am impressed by the rhetoric and actions of so many Western leaders and governments, with the exception of the Irish government, who are doing the right thing for once. War crimes are war crimes, even when committed by allies, and they must be charged for what they are,” Cosgrave stressed.
Afterwards, Paddy Cosgrave apologized on Tuesday for his comments on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, regretting that he had not shown “compassion” and saying he hoped peace would be achieved.
The position from Cosgrave, who is Irish, came a day after Israel’s ambassador to Portugal, Dor Shapira, announced that the country had canceled its participation in the Lisbon technology summit due to statements made by the Web Summit’s co-founder, who classified ” excessive”.
“To repeat what I said last week, I unreservedly condemn the evil, disgusting and monstrous attack by Hamas on October 7” and “I also call for the unconditional release of all hostages. As a father, I deeply sympathize with the families of the victims of this terrible act and regret for all the innocent lives lost in this and other wars,” begins Paddy Cosgrave on the Web Summit blog.
“I unequivocally support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, I unequivocally support a two-state solution,” but “I understand that what I said, at the time I said it and the way it was presented to many caused deep pain,” continues the co-founder of what is considered one of the largest technology summits in the world.
“To anyone who was hurt by my words, I deeply apologize. What is needed now is compassion, and I did not convey that. My goal is and has always been to fight for peace” and “ultimately I hope that I hope this can be achieved with all my heart,” says Cosgrave.
In his message, he recalled that, “like many figures around the world,” he also believes “that Israel must adhere to international law and the Geneva Conventions in defending itself – that is, not to commit war crimes ”.
The Islamist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7 with the launch of thousands of rockets and the incursion of armed militiamen by land, sea and air.
In response, Israel bombed several Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and laid siege to the area, cutting off water, fuel and electricity supplies.
Source: DN
