The Israeli embassy in Lisbon declared in a written statement that the Portuguese government’s decision “sends the message that if you murder 1,200 Jews and massacre families, you will be rewarded.”
“Is this the message that the Portuguese people want to send to our region? Hamas itself acknowledged that recognition is one of the ‘fruits’ of October 7 [2023]. It also praised Portugal for this initiative and promised to repeat the massacre of October 7 repeatedly,” the Israeli diplomat wrote.
“This misguided statement by Portugal harms any prospect of peace and serves only to reward terrorism, giving a destabilizing boost to those who continue to resort to violence as a means to political solutions,” emphasized Rozenblat.
Furthermore, according to the head of the Israeli diplomatic mission, the Palestinian Authority, based in Ramallah, “has not proven to be an effective or responsible governing body.”
“[The Palestinian Authority] continues to glorify terrorism, promote anti-Semitism, and incite violence by pursuing a ‘pay for slay’ policy [paying terrorists and their families] and with poisonous indoctrination in education. The majority of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria [the Israeli name for the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem] support the ‘October 7 massacre,'” stated the diplomat.
Additionally, the Israeli diplomat mentioned that Portugal supported the Oslo Accords in 1993 and 1995, thus recognizing the Palestinian State “now goes against the Accords, which stipulated that all decisions between the two parties would be made in direct negotiations.”
“This recognition is a reward for those who have always refused to sit at the negotiating table,” Rozenblat stated, recalling that the Portuguese Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, listed a set of conditions “not fulfilled” for the recognition of the Palestinian State.
“These conditions include the Palestinian Authority guaranteeing the safe release of hostages held by Hamas and the disarmament of the Palestinian Islamist group in power in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority must undertake internal reforms with a view to holding presidential and legislative elections in the medium term, in addition to recognizing the State of Israel (as a Jewish state). These conditions have not yet been met,” stressed the Israeli diplomat.
He continued: “The timing of this recognition, almost exactly two years after the ‘October 7 massacre’ and on the eve of the Jewish New Year, offers Hamas and its supporters a reason to celebrate, while inflicting pain on the victims of terrorism and their families.”
“If Portugal truly wishes to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, it should focus its efforts on confronting Hamas and, above all, ensuring the release of the 48 hostages still held in captivity in Gaza,” concluded Rozenblat.
Portugal, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia formally recognized the State of Palestine on Sunday, amid increasing diplomatic pressure to advance a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, marked by decades of stalled peace negotiations.
The recognition occurred on the eve of the Two-State Solution Conference (Israel and Palestine), scheduled for today at the UN headquarters in New York, where several countries will also formalize the recognition of the Palestinian state.
On Sunday, Israel rejected the recognition, arguing it is a “significant reward for terrorism.” Addressing Western leaders, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned that there will be no Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, the Islamic movement Hamas stated that the recognition represents “a victory” for Palestinian rights.
