“It is a good decision, but certainly a late one. Previous governments also had opportunities to advance this recognition,” stated Livre party deputy Jorge Pinto to agency Lusa.
In 2015, during their first election campaign, Livre was “the only party that stated one of the conditions to support a potential left-wing government would be the effective recognition of Palestine as a free, independent, and sovereign state,” he recalled.
“What the government seems to be doing now is, pressured by other international partners, led by France, realizing that it might no longer have room not to proceed with this recognition,” Jorge Pinto mentioned.
For the Livre deputy, this is “a necessary but late decision” and “it happens almost more due to external pressure than pressure and will from the government itself,” also highlighting the importance of “citizen pressure” for this recognition.
“This recognition, if confirmed—and I believe there is a parliamentary majority that will support it—is important, but more is needed,” he warned.
Jorge Pinto noted his party’s proposals for an embargo on the transport and sale of weapons to Israel and an effective suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement.
“And an increasingly important matter is legal and criminal accountability for all involved in war crimes and genocide by Israel in Gaza, as has happened in other similar cases,” he argued.
The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, announced today that he will consult with the President of the Republic and political parties with parliamentary representation to “consider the recognition of the Palestinian state” at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
“The government has decided to consult with His Excellency the President of the Republic and Political Parties with representation in the Assembly of the Republic, aiming to consider recognizing the Palestinian state in a procedure that can be concluded during the High-Level week of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, to be held in New York next September,” announced the Prime Minister in a statement.
