A vote was held today in the parliament’s plenary session on the final text of the PAN resolution project, initially approved in general on July 11. The proposal received support from PS, IL, Livre, PCP, BE, JPP, and its proponent Inês de Sousa Real, with abstentions coming from PSD, Chega, and CDS-PP deputies.
The parliament urges the government to “urgently activate diplomatic mechanisms and make necessary efforts to welcome children from Gaza in need of urgent medical care.”
According to this recommendation, the government should provide “appropriate treatment for these children through the National Health Service and also ensure the accommodation of an accompanying family member.”
It further proposes cooperation with the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism and other international institutions to guarantee the safe and swift transport of these children.
The parliament also wants the government to regularly inform the Assembly of the Republic about progress in this process and the number of children received.
It requests urgent diplomatic mechanisms and actions with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to authorize the removal of unaccompanied orphaned children from Gaza.
Portugal officially recognized the State of Palestine today, as announced by the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, during a statement at Portugal’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
Paulo Rangel stated that Portugal will utilize “all diplomatic instruments” available to persuade Israel of Portugal’s position on recognizing the Palestinian state, emphasizing that this decision “specifically aims to defend Israeli security.”
A resolution authored by Chega was also approved, with PS, Livre, PCP, BE, and JPP voting against it, along with PSD and CDS-PP abstaining. It recommends that the government classify the “Cartel de los Soles” as an international terrorist organization.
The text describes this cartel as “a criminal structure originating in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela with transnational branches.”
The parliament advised the executive to “formally classify the ‘Cartel de los Soles’ as an international terrorist organization, recognizing its actions as a direct threat to the security of the Portuguese state, European Union stability, and international order, and promoting this classification in European and international counter-terrorism mechanisms.”
Furthermore, deputies want the government to adopt “all necessary legislative, diplomatic, and operational measures to strengthen the instruments of prevention, cooperation, and repression against this cartel’s activities, ensuring that Portugal, as an EU member state and signatory of international conventions, is at the forefront of combating transnational narco-terrorism.”
Other resolutions were rejected, such as one from Chega—opposed by PSD, PS, Livre, PCP, BE, PAN, and JPP, and abstained by IL and CDS-PP—which sought to recommend the government to reestablish “commercial arms supplies to Israel,” lift the “ongoing embargo,” and “abstain from unfriendly acts against Tel Aviv.”
Additionally, a recommendation from IL suggesting the government “monitor the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Angola” was rejected with PSD, PCP, and CDS-PP voting against and PS abstaining.
[News updated at 14:36]
