Portugal “understands and follows” the position of the United Nations Secretary General on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which led to the resignation of Tel Aviv’s António Guterres, the foreign minister told Lusa on Wednesday.
“We fully understand and follow the position of António Guterres, who was unequivocal in condemning Hamas’ terrorism, which is absolutely unacceptable. He was absolutely crystal clear in his analysis,” João Gomes Cravinho told this to Lusa, who deplored this controversy between the Israeli government and the UN Secretary General.
For the Portuguese government, “there is no way to say that António Guterres in any way excuses terrorism”. This, the head of Portuguese diplomacy added, “is an absolute mistake that should not go unnoticed.”
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Gilad Erdan, on Tuesday asked the organization’s secretary general, António Guterres, to resign “immediately” after saying that the attacks by the Islamist group Hamas “did not just happen” ”.
“The UN Secretary General, who understands the campaign of mass murder of children, women and the elderly, is not fit to lead the UN. I ask him to resign immediately,” the diplomat wrote on the social network X (formerly Twitter). ).
The @UN The Secretary General, who understands the campaign of mass murder of children, women and the elderly, is not fit to lead the UN.
I call on him to resign immediately.
There is no justification or point in talking to those who show compassion for the most…
– Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 24, 2023
“There is no justification or point in speaking to those who express compassion for the most terrible atrocities committed against the citizens of Israel and the Jewish people. There are simply no words,” he added.
Moments earlier, at the opening of a UN Security Council meeting dedicated to the current situation in the Middle East, Guterres unequivocally condemned the October 7 “unprecedented” and “acts of terror” committed by the Islamist group Hamas in Israel, saying stressed that “nothing can justify the deliberate murder, attack and kidnapping of civilians”.
Request for dismissal is ’emotional comment that has no basis whatsoever’
Regarding Tel Aviv’s dismissal, the Portuguese minister refused to give “excessive importance.” “It’s an emotional comment that has no basis whatsoever,” he thought.
Gomes Cravinho noticed that Guterres “is the voice of international conscience” on the “very worrying humanitarian situation” in Gaza, which “requires immediate responses.”
The UN Secretary General, he added, “is absolutely right when he says that it is also necessary to look at the underlying problems in the Middle East.”
“It is necessary to look at everything that has happened in recent decades, because this tragic situation, this terrible crisis must also provide an opportunity for a new approach to the Middle East. We must have a way to transform a tragic situation. in a situation of hope,” the Portuguese minister emphasized.
On the other hand, he emphasized that the “strong emotional impact” of the Hamas attack on October 7, which Israeli authorities say caused the deaths of about 1,400 people and more than 200 hostages, “may not be the best advisor” when it comes to responding.
“It is necessary to respond in a very rational, very cold way, which can be extremely difficult. There is a great responsibility on the part of political decision-makers, in Israel, but also internationally, not to allow mistakes to be made that will later make it more difficult to find a solution to the conflict in the medium and long term find, said Gomes Cravinho.
Hamas attacked Israel by surprise on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapping about 220 people who were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli sources.
Since then, Israel has bombed the Gaza Strip without interruption and imposed a blockade of water, medicine and fuel in the area, which has been controlled by Hamas since 2007.
According to the Palestinian enclave’s health ministry, more than 5,800 people, most of them civilians, including nearly 2,400 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.
Source: DN
