The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, defended this Sunday that an attack on civilians is enough for Israel to violate humanitarian law, after it was confronted by several pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the gardens of Belém.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was speaking to journalists at a demonstration in favor of Palestine, next to the Belém Palace, when asked if there is a risk of genocide in the Gaza Strip.
“It doesn’t have to be genocide, it’s enough to be an attack on innocent victims, civilians, from any party. This is contrary to humanitarian law,” he stated.
The President of the Republic emphasized that “there had not yet been any response to the attack and he already said that humanitarian law must be respected.”
“I would say even more: a democracy must act within the framework of democracy, even in times of war,” has pointed out after being criticized by several protesters for telling the head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Portugal on Friday that some Palestinians “should not have started this war” with Israel and advising them to be moderate and peaceful.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa reiterated this Sunday that “the Portuguese position is the same and will be the same”.
“We stand and will stand firmly behind 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 – in which there were 120 votes in favor, 47 abstentions and only 14 votes against – in which many EU countries, but Portugal, have always been on the side of the position, namely: there is the right to a Palestinian state”he emphasized.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s comments came amid calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip conflict by about 200 people who gathered near the Belém Palace.
Among the slogans were “Marcelo learn the history of Palestine”, but also “we don’t want a smile, we want immediate action”.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa confronted several demonstrators and in a moment of greater tension, after hearing that he is “the president of all Portuguese, he is not a commentator”, the head of state reiterated that “Portugal condemned the terrorist act but supports Palestine.”
When a protester told him that the conversation with the Palestinian representative on Friday “was a lack of diplomacy” and that “it was bad”, the president of the republic responded that he only “said what Portugal thinks”.
Still, given the ongoing criticism, he assured that he told the Palestinian diplomat that “now a group started, but on other occasions other groups started.”
The President of the Republic was of the opinion that there is no radicalization of discourse in Portugal and that the concentration in favor of Palestine was orderly and in dialogue.
Source: DN
