“Recognition is the first practical step to send a message that we have the right to life, existence, to have our own state, to self-determination,” stated the diplomat at a press conference held today at the Palestinian embassy in Lisbon.
“It is also a message to the current Israeli government, which announced yesterday [Sunday] that it will do everything possible” to ensure that “the Palestinian State never exists,” said Rawan Sulaiman.
However, the representative emphasized, “one thing is what he, [the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin] Netanyahu, says” because “the international community says the opposite,” expressing satisfaction with the step taken by several countries.
In an initial statement, Rawan Sulaiman reiterated that the recognition of the Palestinian State by Portugal is a “courageous step” to ensure respect and implementation of international law, including the self-determination of nations.
The diplomat stressed that Portugal’s gesture “is not symbolic,” but rather a way to tell the world that “the Palestinian people have the right to exist and to live like all other peoples of the world.”
Portugal, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia formally recognized the State of Palestine on Sunday, on the eve of the Two-State Solution Conference (Israel and Palestine), scheduled for today at the UN headquarters, where several countries will officialize the recognition of the Palestinian State.
Asked about the condition imposed by some States of only recognizing that State if the Islamist movement Hamas is removed from power, the ambassador assured that the political program of the Palestinian National Authority will not include those who do not respect peace.
“Our political program is based on a two-state solution, with justice and peace for all, and on the full implementation of international law. Therefore, there will be no place for anyone who deviates from this political reality,” she stated, without mentioning Hamas.
On Sunday, the Islamist group, which took power in the Gaza Strip in 2007, stated that recognition of the state represents “a victory” for Palestinian rights.
Almost 150 countries have already recognized the Palestinian State worldwide.
