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In a Rally in Portugal, Calls for Recognition of Palestine Amplify
Portugal must take a stand and speak out against the hypocrisy prevalent within the European Union, urged Paulo Raimundo, attending a solidarity event for Palestinian children in Lisbon's Rossio square. He was joined by the Movement for Palestinian Rights and Peace in the Middle East.
The square was adorned with a chilling list of over 2,000 children, under four years of age, killed by Israeli forces. The grim reality bore a stark message—for every 100 children, two are dead, two are missing, and five are orphaned or separated from their families.
"We refuse to stay silent in the face of this genocide," declared Paulo Raimundo. He spoke of the harrowing plight facing a million children being deprived of essentials like water, food, medicine, and humanitarian aid.
The leader of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) pointed fingers at the EU's hypocrisy. "The hypocrisy is rampant, and there are always two weights, two measures," he said, drove home the sentiment that the children of Palestine are no different from the children of the rest of the world.
Images from Gaza left Paulo Raimundo horrified. He accused the EU of hypocrisy and complicity in the ongoing situation. He argued that formal recognition of Palestine by the Portuguese state would send a powerful message, joining many other states that have already done so. Such acknowledgment, according to Raimundo, would limit Israel's maneuvering space in the region.
"Doing nothing about this is being complicit in these numbers," he emphasized.
Dig Deeper:
- A Historical Perspective: Portugal has been cautious in its approach to recognizing Palestine as an independent state, balancing its EU membership and international relations. However, in 1974, the UN General Assembly recognized the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, signifying international support for Palestinian autonomy.
- Diplomatic Ties: Portugal maintains diplomatic ties with Israel but supports a two-state solution for achieving peace and stability in the Middle East. However, unlike certain EU members, it has not yet formally recognized the State of Palestine.
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- Paulo Raimundo, during a solidarity event in Rossio square, Portugal, called upon the nation to address the hypocrisy within the European Union, particularly in regards to the ongoing genocide of Palestinian children.
- The grim reality of war-and-conflicts in Palestine was apparent in Rossio square, where a chilling list of over 2,000 children under four years old, killed by Israeli forces, was displayed.
- Raimundo criticized the politics of the European Union, stating that their hypocrisy was evident in their approach to the Palestinian cause, as they fail to provide essentials like water, food, medicine, and humanitarian aid to over a million children in Palestine.
- In a reference to the children of Palestine, Raimundo asserted that their lives are no less valuable than those of children in the rest of the world, and formal recognition of Palestine by the Portuguese state would be a significant step towards ensuring their wellbeing and limiting Israel's maneuvering space in the region.
