The Bloc’s motion to adopt a clear position on the recognition of Palestine was passed against the will of the PSD. For Moedas, “Portugal has done and is doing everything” to benefit the region.
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The Lisbon Chamber decided this Wednesday, with the leadership of the PSD/CDS-PP voting against, to urge the Government to recognize the State of Palestine, in a motion proposed by BE, which had the votes in favor of the remaining opposition councilors.
For the “end of the genocide in Gaza”, with “more than 37,000 dead”, the BE council, represented by Ricardo Moreira, maintained that “it is time to recognize the State of Palestine”.
In a public meeting of the chamber, the BE motion was approved with the votes against the leadership of the PSD/CDS-PP, which governs without an absolute majority, and the votes in favor of the rest, that is, PS, PCP, Livre , BE and Cidadãos Por Lisboa (CPL, elected by the PS/Livre coalition).
The PCP proposed that the recognition of the State of Palestine should be “with the 1967 borders and the capital in East Jerusalem, as determined by United Nations resolutions”, but this point was rejected, with the president of the chamber exercising the vote of quality after a tie, with six votes in favor of the PSD/CDS-PP (one councilor absent) and six in favor – two from the PCP, two from the CPL, one from Livre and one from BE –, with four abstentions (three from the PS and a CPL councilor).
Justifying the vote against, the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas (PSD), said that it has to do with “the strong conviction of a two-state solution”, which implies that Portugal has the capacity to be a mediator, coordinating with the European Union, considering that “now is not the time” to recognize the State of Palestine.
Portugal defends the international recognition of Palestine at the UN
“Portugal did everything and Portugal is doing everythingin a manner unprecedented until now, in relation to what Portugal voted for in the United Nations”, increase and grant more privileges to Palestine, ask the Security Council to consider Palestine’s application for accession as a full member, he said, highlighting that “Portugal, with Denmark and Greece, leads a process of defending that there is more help to train the Palestinian authority, not more training of terrorism.”
From the PS councilor, Pedro Anastácio stated that “the existence of two States and the recognition of the State of Palestine is more than a just humanitarian aspiration of the State of Palestine, which has exactly its right to exist in the same way as Israel. their right to exist.”
The Portuguese Parliament recommends that the Government recognise the State of Palestine
The socialist highlighted that the news related to the conflict in the Middle East makes it “more indispensable and clear positioning is important from different countries from an international point of view, to press for this recognition,” which is “an imperative of humanity.”
The PS councilor justified his abstention on the second point because he considered that the question of borders and territory could initially create difficulties in developing a solution.
From the PCP, Ana Jara defended that the recognition and definition of borders “is inseparable”, showing surprise at the abstention of the PS, considering that it goes “in contravention” of the position of the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres. with “the denunciation of the genocide that the State of Israel is currently perpetrating in Palestine.”
The current conflict in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, which left around 1,200 dead and two hundred hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Since then, Tel Aviv has launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip that has so far caused more than 37,000 deaths and more than 85,000 injuries, according to the authorities of the Palestinian enclave, controlled by Hamas since 2007.
Source: Observadora
