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 this war” with Israel and advised them to be moderate and peaceful.
“This time it was someone from your side who started it. You shouldn’t have done that”considered the Portuguese Head of State, in 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 his disappointment with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s words.
“If we want to be fair, we must at least condemn the violence on both sides, and condemn the occupation, which is the root of the problem. If we want to be honest. And the president repeated the 07 attack five times. time to the press here [de outubro], but did not mention the people of Gaza. This is unfair”Nabil Abuznaid told reporters.
Passing the Palestinian Grandstand, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa greeted Nabil Abuznaid, who thanked the Portuguese head of state for the visit at this “very difficult time.”
The President of the Republic agreed that “it is a difficult period”, adding: “But you know, I think it will depend a lot on you. You must be an example of moderation”.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa argued that Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israeli territory does not contribute to the struggle for a sovereign state of Palestine. “You must be moderate, otherwise you will lose your mind”he reinforced.
The head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Portugal noted that “the response was brutal” from the Israeli forces and argued that “the occupation must end.”
“That is something else. Just because there aren’t two states yet doesn’t mean you can attack innocent people the way you did – some of you.”responded Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, noting that he “does not confuse the terrorist attack with the 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 Sousa advised Palestinians to be “calm and cautious,” to be “prudent, intelligent and peaceful,” arguing that “otherwise things will be bad for everyone” and that “radicalism creates a climate of radicalism.”
“And this time the radicalism started on the part of some Palestinians, of course a group”continued the President of the Republic.
The head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission countered that “this does not excuse Israel’s brutal response” in the Gaza Strip and said “ten thousand people were killed.”
“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 that.”replied the President of the Republic.
When Nabil Abuznaid invoked “the 56-year occupation”, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa responded similarly: “I know, but they shouldn’t have started it”.
Israel has no stall at this edition of the Diplomatic Bazaar that started on Friday in Lisbon, and neither does the United States of America.
The Islamist group Hamas, classified as terrorist by the European Union and the United States of America and which controls 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 has killed more than 1,400 people in Israel and taken about 220 hostages, four of whom have since been released.
Israeli forces responded to the Hamas attack with bombings and cutting off water, food, electricity and fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million people, and warned the enclave’s population that they would be in danger if they didn’t move south. .
Authorities in the Gaza Strip report that more than 9,000 people have been killed by Israeli bombardments, including more than 3,000 children.
Source: DN
