Prime Minister and PSD leader Luís Montenegro, while in Chaves, assured that “the government did not intervene in any act” that could be interpreted as a military arms sale to Israel. Nuno Melo also addressed the issue, claiming to be the target of falsehoods.
“It’s impressive to me that a piece of news that’s fundamentally false could circulate for 24 hours regarding something that doesn’t involve me, because it has nothing to do with National Defense, misleading people and inadvertently fueling extremism,” stated the CDS-PP president and Defense Minister during a campaign event in Viseu.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) acknowledged a procedural mistake internally on Thursday when services failed to inform that American F-35 aircraft headed for Israel would pass through the Lajes base in the Azores.
The oversight, according to the government, prevented a political-level alert that could have led to a decision to oppose the passage.
“If the Prime Minister can’t say anything positive about this situation, at least he shouldn’t insult people’s intelligence by claiming it’s different. Are you seriously telling me it’s different to sell a pistol versus letting an F-35—one of the most lethal weapons in the world—pass through?” criticized the spokesperson for Livre.
Rui Tavares spoke during a campaign event in Loures, accompanied by Marisa Matias, who is substituting for Bloco de Esquerda’s national coordinator, Mariana Mortágua.
“The issue at hand, if confirmed, is that despite all evaluations of the crimes against humanity committed by the State of Israel, a government action or omission might place us among those complicit in the ongoing genocide,” emphasized Matias.
Later, during a rally in Lisbon, the PCP’s secretary-general accused the Prime Minister of creating a “mess,” arguing that if he thinks F-35 planes are not for war, “everything’s upside down.”
“One thing we know for sure: they aren’t planes for putting out fires in Portugal, or Israel, or the United States. We sure could use them,” Paulo Raimundo commented sarcastically.
While the government’s explanation didn’t satisfy these three parties, it was enough for the president of Iniciativa Liberal.
“The matter has been explained,” and “an error was admitted, potentially an administrative one,” Mariana Leitão told journalists during a campaign event in Faro, where she also expressed confidence that the State Budget proposal would include contributions from her party.
Meanwhile, in Olhão, André Ventura focused on a different topic, promising that the Chega elected officials on October 12 will take State-owned houses away from anyone with a criminal record and redistribute assets.
“In over 65% of municipalities, houses are allocated to individuals with criminal records, drug traffickers, criminals, and violent offenders,” claimed the Chega leader.
The PS leader, José Luís Carneiro, began his campaign day late in the afternoon with a rally in Lourinhã (Lisbon district) and then headed to Santarém.
