After a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Assembly of the Republic regarding Palestine, Paula Santos stated that she conveyed to the government that Portugal should proceed with the recognition “without depending on the position of other countries,” asserting that “it is a sovereign country and has every right to make this decision.”
She further argued that this should be done unconditionally, stating it should align with the already approved United Nations resolutions, including the recognition of the State of Palestine within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital, and the return of Palestinian refugees.
Paula Santos also urged the Portuguese Government to “firmly intervene and condemn this genocide,” criticizing the “occupation and colonization policy being pursued by Israel.”
“The recognition of the State of Palestine is important on a political level and significant. Naturally, a ceasefire is necessary, humanitarian aid is necessary, and it’s necessary to end this war, this massacre,” she lamented.
The Government called together various parties with parliamentary representation to discuss various topics, including the State Budget for 2026, amendments to the foreign and nationality law, the disaggregation of parishes, and Palestine. However, only the latter was the topic of today’s meeting, and the PCP is scheduled to meet with the government again next week.
When questioned about the State Budget for 2026, Paula Santos deferred further comments to that meeting but stated that she has “no illusions” regarding the PSD/CDS-PP government’s budget proposal.
