Announcement happens after more than 70 years of conflict in the region and the moment when deaths from hunger fired in Gaza
Daniela Archangel and Aurelie von Blazekovic-Portugal joined the United Kingdom, France and Canada on Thursday (31) by signaling that it will recognize the unaddated humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, plagued for 22 months of war with Israel.
According to a statement from the office of Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, the procedure to legitimize Palestine can be completed during the 80th General Assembly of the United Nations in September. The process involves listening to Parliament and the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
“Many of the states with which Portugal has conceived positions on the matter have evidenced availability to start the procedure of recognition of the Palestinian State,” says the premiere statement, which leads a center-right coalition.
The announcement comes after more than 70 years of conflict in the region and when hungry deaths fired on Gaza due to the catastrophic crisis caused by the restriction of humanitarian aid imposed by Israel.
Last Tuesday (29), the IPC (Integrated Classification of Food Security Phases), a UN -supported initiative, said Gaza suffers “the worst possible scenario” of hunger and that one in three people in the territory spends several days without eating anything.
According to the Portuguese Office, the measure is justified by the willingness of Arab nations to normalize relations with Israel and the “highly worrying evolution of the conflict, either in the humanitarian dimension or the repeated allusion to the possibility of attaching Palestinian territories”.
The statement also cites guarantees given by the ANP (National Palestinian Authority), an organization internationally recognized as representative of the Palestinian people. Among them are the condemnation of Hamas terrorist attacks, the release of the kidnapped by the faction, the acceptance of a demilitarized Palestinian state, the resumption of Gaza’s administration and Israel’s recognition.
Before Portugal, Canada, France and the United Kingdom also expressed the intention of recognizing a Palestinian state soon.
In the case of Paris, the decision was announced by President Emmanuel Macron last Thursday (24). The British prime minister, Keir Stmerer, made similar pronouncement on Tuesday, stating that he will recognize Palestine if the Israeli government does not take steps to end the “terrible situation” in Gaza. Canada finally signaled in the same direction on Wednesday (30).
If the recognition actually occurs, the countries will compose the group of more than 140 nations that legitimize Palestine, according to ANP’s count – Slovenia is the latest state to enter the list in May last year, shortly after Spain, Ireland and Norway.
A remarkable absence, however, is Germany. On Thursday, the country’s Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, said during a trip to Jerusalem that Berlin has no plans to recognize Palestine.
According to him, Germany is still committed to a negotiated solution of two states, but the minister warned that Israel is in danger of isolating itself in the international community. “If there is a country that has a responsibility to avoid this, in my opinion, it is Germany,” Wadephul told reporters, in reference to the Nazi past. The minister met with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Before boarding, Wadephul stated that Israel needs to act “immediately, comprehensive and sustainable” in the face of the “catastrophic situation” in the Gaza Strip. Death and suffering have reached “unimaginable dimensions,” he said. At the same time, the minister warned Israel against a climb in the conflict. “Germany will also be forced to react to unilateral actions,” he said without going into detail.
So far, having the support of three bedrooms of the 193 UN-member countries, including Brazil, has not guaranteed adherence to international agencies. This is because, to join the United Nations, the postulant must be approved by more than half of a security board committee composed of 15 members and not vetoed by any of the five permanent members (United States, Russia, France, China and the United Kingdom).
The last countries to wave of the creation of a Palestinian state, however, increase the pressure for a change in this conjuncture as they include France and the United Kingdom. Even so, it is unlikely that the US gives the endorsement and does not see Palestine in the UN.
In an interview with Portal Sic Notícias, Portugal’s Foreign Minister, Paulo Rangel, denied that the decision was made only because of the movement of other countries. “This has been combined among us all. It’s not President Macron who decides alone and we go behind,” said the chancellor. “It’s a matter that we are deciding together.”
Rangel also stated that recognition has always been at the table and criticized leftist parties that classified the late decision, but, he said, “they had eight years to recognize Palestine and did nothing.”
“The first Portuguese government not to authorize the export of weapons to Israel, as early as April 2024, was this government,” he said. “We always said we were going to do the recognition when it had a useful effect. The useful effect is here,” he continued, in reference to the guarantees of removal from Hamas from Power.
