Only Gaza aid for children gets green light
Portugal’s Parliament on Friday rejected all proposals urging the government to recognise the State of Palestine, with right-wing parties PSD, CDS, Chega, and Iniciativa Liberal (IL) voting against the move.
A total of eight draft resolutions were debated. Six explicitly called for recognition of Palestinian statehood – all were struck down. Only one motion passed: a proposal from the PAN party urging urgent medical support for children from Gaza. That was approved and forwarded to committee, with PSD, CDS, and Chega abstaining and all other parties voting in favour.
Chega’s counterproposal – urging the government not to recognise Palestine “for the time being” — was not voted on but sent to the 2nd Commission. The same fate awaited an IL draft calling for a “balanced” approach to the conflict, avoiding clear recognition.
Left Bloc, PCP, Livre, PAN, PS and JPP argued that recognition is a necessary step toward peace and should follow pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital. Livre also pushed for the EU to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel.
The Socialist Party (PS) official proposal called for “immediate recognition” and action at EU level to coordinate similar moves. Some PS MPs, including former leader Pedro Nuno Santos, broke ranks to vote in favour of opposition-backed resolutions.
On the other side of the aisle, Chega and CDS insisted recognition is premature. They cited ongoing violence, Hamas’s role in Gaza, and the continued detention of Israeli hostages as major obstacles.
For now, Portugal will not join several EU nations that have recently recognised Palestinian statehood.
