A demonstration took place outside the Assembly of the Republic simultaneously with other protests in 12 cities across the European Union (EU) under the slogan “No Business as Usual with Israel,” aimed at denouncing European “complicity with Israel’s war crimes which must end.”
In statements, Liad Hollender, from the Israelis for International Pressure association, emphasized that the protest is organized “by Israelis and against the current government of Benjamin Netanyahu” by citizens “very concerned and horrified by what is happening in Gaza.”
“We want to say no, that it cannot be, that we do not support this at all,” stated Hollender, originally from Haifa, where he was born 43 years ago and has lived in Portugal for 14 years, adding that Netanyahu is “a disaster.”
“There have been several opportunities to negotiate, to end the conflict, but he has always refused, using various excuses. In reality, there is a consensus in Israel that Netanyahu is promoting personal interests and not thinking about his country. And there are many protests in Israel against the government, calling for an end to the war. But he does not listen,” he argued.
“I agree that Benjamin Netanyahu is a bit crazy. He clings to power and takes actions that make no sense and are crazy, just like the Israelis who support him,” he emphasized, also criticizing the “hypocrisy of the international community.”
Hollender stated there are “no words” to describe what Israel is doing in the Gaza Strip, where it fights the Islamist movement Hamas, and in the occupied West Bank, while the international community has not moved beyond words.
“We are only hearing words from the governments of Europe, the United States. They are just words and do nothing. Every week, hundreds of people die, many of them children. In reality, we cannot explain how this is happening,” he stated.
Another protester, Alan Stoleroff, leader of Jews for Peace and Justice, compared what Israel does in the Palestinian territories to what Russia does in Ukraine, arguing that Tel Aviv is conducting “a special military operation” that amounts to “genocide.”
“One word: at this moment, genocide. Netanyahu does not want to end what he is calling a war. It is not exactly a war. At this moment, it is a special military operation, to quote [Russian President, Vladimir] Putin. Netanyahu does not intend to end this operation until, as his ministers of the two or three extreme right-wing parties explicitly say, there is the definitive expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip,” he declared.
Stoleroff, 71, originally from Brooklyn, USA, and in Portugal for about 45 years, expressed confusion over why the war continues, “especially since Gaza is ravaged and no longer habitable.”
“They are using a weapon of hunger to pressure the Palestinian civilian population, whether they are Hamas sympathizers or not. It is absolutely illegal, immoral, unprecedented,” asserted Stoleroff, arguing that the global Jewish movement against the Netanyahu government “undermines the legitimacy of the State of Israel by pretending to speak and act for all Jews and Israelis worldwide.”
Portuguese diplomat Ana Gomes joined the protest, stating that “anyone who has this disdain for thousands of lives is crazy,” referring to Benjamin Netanyahu.
“As a Portuguese citizen, in solidarity with these Israeli and Portuguese citizens here urging peace and denouncing Israel as a state engaging in genocide that is completely incongruent and immoral, even in light of the suffering of the Israeli people and the Jewish people themselves,” stated the former Socialist Party leader and presidential candidate.
“We are citizens of the world, citizens of the European Union, our voice counts. We must demand much more assertiveness from Portuguese authorities in defending international law and international law concerning the two states, the State of Palestine. It is the only solution for the two peoples, Israel and Palestine, to live in peace, respecting each other,” she added.
The protest also featured posters denouncing the actions of the Israeli government, with slogans like “stop the genocide,” “Jews for peace and justice,” “equality for all,” or “suspend the Israel/EU association agreement.”
The organization submitted an open letter to the parties represented in Parliament denouncing the Israeli stance in the occupied territories.
Israel has been at war with Hamas since the Islamist attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the kidnapping of over two hundred individuals. Israeli retaliation has resulted in more than 54,000 deaths in Gaza, according to Hamas-controlled authorities.
[News updated at 16:48]
