Portuguese ambassador in Ramallah among group that came under fire from Israeli soldiers
Portugal’s government summoned Israeli ambassador Oren Rosenblat to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday following the attack on a diplomatic delegation conducting a field tour of the Jenin refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank.
Frederico Nascimento, Portugal’s ambassador in Ramallah, was among the group of around 20 diplomats forced to run for cover as Israeli soldiers were reportedly seen firing in their direction.
Videos posted on social network ‘X’ show the diplomats talking to members of the press when the firing started.
The Israeli army has said that its soldiers were firing to move the delegation away because it had deviated from a previously agreed route, entering an area it was not authorised to be in.
It is not an explanation that has placated governments of any of the countries whose representatives were involved:
Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: “This attack, which endangered the lives of diplomats, is yet another demonstration of Israel’s systematic disregard for international law and human rights.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said he would be summoning the Israeli ambassador in Paris, calling the incident “unacceptable”.
Ireland’s minister for foreign affairs Simon Harris said he was: “shocked and appalled,” noting that two Irish diplomats based in Ramallah in the West Bank were among the group.
The government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has demanded an explanation, saying its vice consul was among those who came under fire.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said his country has also summoned the Israeli ambassador in Madrid. “We demand clarity and accountability,” he added – and it is in this context that Portugal’s minister for foreign affairs, Paulo Rangel, will have acted.
As Lusa explains, the attack (which caused no physical injuries) took place at 2pm local time (midday in Lisbon) yesterday at the entrance to the refugee camp which has endured a wide-scale Israeli military assault, causing deaths and displacement. Considering the explanation from Israel’s army, it is difficult to understand how the diplomats could have deviated from the authorised route: they were only at the camp’s entrance.
Besides Portugal’s Frederico Nascimento, there were representatives from Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, the United Kingdom, Romania, Russia, Turkey, China, Canada, Mexico, India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco, as well as what has been described as an “undetermined number of diplomats from other countries”.
The incident coincided with an increase in tensions between Israel and countries that have traditionally been considered its allies. The Guardian, for instance, writes that “UK-Israeli relations have plunged to their worst state for decades after the British foreign secretary, David Lammy, suspended negotiations over a new free trade deal, saying Israel’s cabinet ministers’ calls to “purify Gaza” by expelling Palestinians were repellent, monstrous and extremist” – while relations with the United States, traditionally one of its closest allies, have definitely seen better days.
As for last night’s meeting in Lisbon with the Israeli ambassador, we have no details. The government has however said that the Jenin incident went against international law, while Paulo Rangel posted over social media that it Portugal “roundly condemns” the attack, and sends solidarity to all those affected. ND
sources: LUSA/ Guardian/ ‘X’
