During a municipal initiative in Nazaré, Luís Montenegro addressed journalists regarding the situation of the Portuguese activists detained in Israel.
“We are doing everything to monitor the situation and contribute to bringing them back to our territory as quickly as possible. The latest information I have is that our ambassador in Tel Aviv is currently in contact with them directly to expedite this process,” he stated.
When asked if there is any perspective on when they might return to national territory, the Prime Minister noted that there are over 400 people in the same situation.
“We might have some understanding for a certain delay or at least not as high a speed as we would like, but my perspective is that this issue will be quickly resolved, allowing for a calm and normal return,” he said.
Montenegro expressed his unwillingness to interfere “in the strategy and objectives” of these activists but reiterated his belief that the purpose of this initiative, which “is also political in nature,” “has been achieved.”
“They wanted to alert the world, as well as public opinions and governments, to a specific, real situation concerning the difficulty of delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza territory. I believe it was a protest action with a well-established message,” he said.
When questioned if he aligns with the comments of Defense Minister Nuno Melo, who considered this type of initiative as support to Hamas, Montenegro said he did not know these comments and would not comment on statements made by government members.
“Regarding the responsibility of the Portuguese government, until the vessel was intercepted, we closely monitored with governments we have a close relationship with, particularly the Italian government,” he said, adding that an appeal was made to avoid the situation that led to the intervention of Israeli authorities.
“Now that this intervention has occurred, our obligation is to deploy our consular apparatus on the ground, in contact with them, their families through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and with Israeli authorities to proceed with a repatriation as quickly as possible,” he said.
Israeli forces intercepted the Global Freedom Flotilla on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, consisting of about 50 vessels headed for the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid, detaining participants, including four Portuguese citizens: the leader of the Left Bloc, Mariana Mortágua, actress Sofia Aparício, and activists Miguel Duarte and Diogo Chaves.
Also detained were 30 Spaniards, 22 Italians, 21 Turks, 12 Malaysians, 11 Tunisians, 11 Brazilians, and 10 French, as well as citizens from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, and Colombia, among many others — with organizers denouncing the lack of information about the whereabouts of 443 participants in the humanitarian mission.
