Portugal must employ all its diplomatic tools to condemn and expose the hypocrisy of the European Union regarding the situation in the Middle East, stated Paulo Raimundo during a solidarity event for Palestinian children held at Rossio Square, Lisbon. The event was organized by the Movement for the Rights of the Palestinian People and Peace in the Middle East.
A large list on the ground at Rossio displayed the names of two thousand children under four years old, killed by Israeli forces. The list highlighted that, out of every 100 children, two are dead, two are missing, and five have been orphaned or separated from their parents.
“We will not remain silent in the face of the ongoing genocide. We are witnessing a situation where a million children are deprived of water, food, medicines, and humanitarian aid,” remarked Paulo Raimundo.
The leader of the Portuguese Communist Party criticized the prevalent “hypocrisy” and “double standards.”
“It seems that Palestinian children are different from children in the rest of the world. This cannot be tolerated. […] It’s difficult to even talk about this. Everyone should consider their own children or grandchildren to grasp what is happening at the moment,” he said.
Paulo Raimundo described the images emerging from Gaza as “terrifying” and accused the European Union of hypocrisy and cynicism, adding that there are several “accomplices to this situation” in Portugal.
“The Portuguese state has an obligation to recognize the State of Palestine. While it doesn’t solve everything, it would be a politically significant gesture,” he emphasized, noting that Portugal would then join “many other states that have already done so.”
Each step towards this recognition “limits Israel’s space,” he claimed.
“This is what needs to be done. Not doing any of this makes you complicit with these numbers,” stressed Paulo Raimundo.
