Portugal’s government is unequivocal over its stance in regard to Israel’s perpetuation of ‘intolerable attacks’ on the people trapped in Gaza.
The latest, on a school building sheltering refugees who have been on the move constantly for months, dodging bombardments, caused dozens of deaths (final counts vary from 70 to 100). Israel, however, claims the school was being used as “an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility” – something Hamas denies.
A message on the official social media page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs makes no reference to the numbers involved, focusing instead on the “intolerable” situation of targeting schools and areas thick with exhausted undernourished civilians.
“The bombing of schools by the armed forces of Israel is intolerable”, reads the message posted today. “The Portuguese government once again calls on the Israeli government to respect humanitarian law. Only an immediate and unconditional ceasefire can protect hundreds of thousands of innocent victims”.
It has been another atrocity of the ongoing conflict over which Israel is rapidly losing even the support of countries that used to vow to being the country’s closest allies – condemned by the Arab and Muslim world, the United States, the European Union, and specifically Spain, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Portugal only on Friday joined international calls for conclusion of a ceasefire agreement – negotiations over which were thrown into disarray after the assassination of the Hamas leader who was leading them.
