Press Statement of the Portuguese Communist Party
Faced with the visit to Portugal, at the invitation of the Portuguese government, by the Israeli Minister for Foreign Affairs, made public a few hours before its beginning, the Portuguese Communist Party expresses its firm opposition to the presence in Portugal of a member of the Israeli government, leader of a right-wing xenophobic party who has defended, among other positions, the expulsion of the Arab population from the Palestinian territory.
The presence of Avigdor Liberman in Portugal, and specially the invitation of the Portuguese government for an official visit of one of the main authors of the policy of state terrorism against the Palestinian people, of the constant boycott of any just solution for the Palestinian issue and of the continuous disrespect for the United Nations Resolutions which recognize the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, is an extremely negative and worrying sign of the position of the Portuguese government regarding the Palestinian issue and represents a clear violation of the principles set down in Article 7 of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic.
Regardless of the declarations of circumstance by the [Foreign Affairs] Minister Luís Amado –which can only be seen as an attempt to publicly whitewash the decision to invite the Israeli leader and to hold high level bilateral meetings [Minister for foreign affairs, President of the Parliament and Prime Minister] – the visit by Avigdor Liberman is even more serious since it happens at a time when Israel continues and intensifies – with a leading role by Avigdor Liberman - the criminal and illegal policy of occupation and colonisation of the occupied territories of Palestine and the persecution of the Arab population in Israel, and has just openly challenged international law with the publication of a so called “report” on the Israeli terrorist attack against the “freedom flotilla” in international waters, presenting it as “an act of self-defence by Israel”.
PCP stresses that, in light of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, the Portuguese government is obliged to carry out a policy of active solidarity with the Palestinian people, to condemn Israel for its Zionist policy of occupation and colonisation of Palestine and its repeated disrespect for international law and international agreements.
As the situation in Palestine clearly shows, what is expected of the Portuguese foreign policy are not invitations to political and party leaders responsible for Israel’s criminal policies, but rather, a cut in political, economic and diplomatic relations with Israel, as long as this State maintains an open position of disrespect for the most basic principles of international law and of human rights.
While appealing to the Portuguese workers and people to make their voices heard in condemnation of this visit by Avigdor Liberman, PCP reiterates its support and solidarity to the Palestinian people in the struggle for their national rights and for the to establish the Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, a position which is stated in the resolution proposal presented today by PCP in the Parliament, aiming at the recognition by the Portuguese State of the proclamation of a free, viable and sovereign Palestinian state.
PCP’s Press Office
Lisbon, January 26th 2011.
