“The recognition is the first practical step towards sending a message that we have the right to life, to existence, to have our own state, to self-determination,” said the diplomat at a press conference held today at the Palestinian embassy in Lisbon.
“It is also a message to the current Israeli government, which announced yesterday [Sunday] that it will do everything possible” to ensure that “the Palestinian state never exists,” said Rawan Sulaiman.
But, the representative stressed, “what he [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu says is one thing” because “the international community says the opposite,” welcoming the step taken by several countries.
In an initial statement, Rawan Sulaiman reiterated that Portugal’s recognition of the Palestinian state is a “courageous step” to ensure respect for and implementation of international law, including the self-determination of nations.
The diplomat stressed that Portugal’s gesture “is not symbolic,” but rather a way of telling the world that “the Palestinian people have the right to exist and live like all other peoples in the world.”
Portugal, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia formally recognised the State of Palestine on Sunday, on the eve of the Conference for the Two-State Solution (Israel and Palestine), scheduled for today at the UN headquarters, where several countries will formalise their recognition of the Palestinian state.
Asked about the condition imposed by some states that they will only recognise that state if the Islamist movement Hamas is removed from power, the ambassador assured that the Palestinian National Authority’s political programme will not include those who do not respect peace.
“Our political programme is based on the two-state solution, with justice and peace for all, and on the full implementation of international law. Therefore, there will be no place for anyone who strays from this political reality,” she said, without mentioning Hamas.
On Sunday, the Islamist group, which took power in the Gaza Strip in 2007, said that recognition of the state represents “a victory” for Palestinian rights. Nearly 150 countries around the world have already recognised the Palestinian state.
Platform with AFP
