“I believe it truly comes late because Europe should have taken more concrete steps in areas of political importance. We often make many declarations, but they have no consequences on the ground,” stated Gouveia e Melo.
Speaking on the sidelines of the debate ‘Conversas com o Presidente,’ organized by the AEP Foundation in Porto, the presidential candidate recalled that Israel has been taking actions that gravely violate international law for some time.
“The State of Israel seems to want to shape a new situation in the Middle East, and this will create significant instability. I believe that this will be, in the medium and long term, negative for the State of Israel itself,” he considered.
Gouveia e Melo expressed that the situation in the Gaza Strip is “a truly concerning problem and a humanitarian issue that should shame everyone.”
Therefore, he continued, if Europe has the possibility to impose sanctions, it should, because otherwise, it will end up as “a dwarf within the international order,” and no one will respect it.
In her State of the Union address, Von der Leyen argued that the hunger caused by Israel in Gaza “cannot be a weapon of war” and announced measures to increase pressure on Tel Aviv.
Among the measures, she announced sanctions against extremist ministers and violent settlers, and the partial suspension of the trade association agreement with Israel.
Criticized for inaction regarding the situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Ursula von der Leyen admitted awareness that “any action will be excessive for some and insufficient for others.”
Meanwhile, Israel accused the European Commission president of yielding to pressure by proposing sanctions against Israeli ministers and the partial suspension of the trade agreement with the country.
