Portugal may be next to recognise Palestinian statehood

Lisbon: Palestinian ambassador to Lisbon, Nabil Abuznaid, said he hoped Portugal would soon join Spain, Norway and Ireland in recognising Palestine as an independent and sovereign state on Tuesday, citing the several requests Portuguese parliamentarians have made to the government in this regard.

In a message sent to Lusa, Abuznaid expressed his hope that Portugal would be one of the first European countries to recognise Palestine, pointing out that the country’s parliament had already made this request “more than once” to the Lisbon government.

“I hope that Portugal will join this group of countries to be among the first European countries to recognise the State of Palestine, especially since the friendly Portuguese people are one of the defenders of the rights of the Palestinian people,” the message writes.

“In fact, the Portuguese parliament has asked the government more than once, for a long time, to recognise the State of Palestine,” the ambassador added.

Abuznaid also thanked “all the peoples and governments of the world who support the Palestinian people in achieving their national goals”, highlighting the European countries “that today officially recognised the State of Palestine”.

According to the Palestinian diplomat, recognising the state of Palestine “is an important step on the road to the two-state solution, Palestine and Israel living together in peace”.

“Failure to recognise the State of Palestine will encourage the continuation of the occupation and injustice against the Palestinian people,” added Abuznaid, who highlighted the efforts of UN Secretary-General António Guterres in this regard.

“On this occasion, I must also thank the son of Portugal, António Guterres, who is leading the battle for humanity and international law to protect the Palestinian people,” the diplomat stressed, quoting Guterres’ general’s words on Monday following an Israeli attack on a refugee camp in Rafah that left 45 dead.

“I condemn Israel’s actions, which have killed dozens of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter in this deadly conflict. There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop,” said Guterres, as Abuznaid recalled in his message.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government approved the formal recognition of Palestine as a state on Tuesday, cabinet spokeswoman Pilar Alegría and Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said at a press conference in Madrid.

The minister argued that the decision taken in Madrid was a matter of justice for the Palestinian people but also “the only way to guarantee Israel the security it legitimately demands and the only viable path to peace in the region”.

Spain, Norway and Ireland have pledged to formally recognise Palestine as a state, joining more than 140 countries around the world that have already done so at a time when Israel has been waging a military offensive in the Gaza Strip since October.