Portuguese parliament votes in favor of Palestinian statehood recognition

The Portuguese parliament voted on Friday evening by an overwhelming majority on a motion calling on the government to recognize Palestine as a state.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry welcomed the Portuguese motion that proposed to “recognize, in coordination with the European Union, the State of Palestine as an independent and sovereign state on the basis of 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital”.

“We have followed these positive developments through our embassy in Portugal,” the ministry said in a statement.

The government must “continue to promote dialogue and peaceful coexistence of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine,” adding that “only negotiations can ensure security and peace in this region,” the motion stated.

The motion was adopted by 206 votes in favor, 6 against and 5 abstaining.

For his part, Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri Director General of ISESCO hailed the Portuguese motion passed earlier Friday urging Lisbon to recognize the state of Palestine within pre-1967 borders.

He also hailed Portuguese Foreign Minister Rui Machete’s statements in which he said that the Portuguese government “will choose the most appropriate moment” to recognize the Palestinian state.

Dr. Altwaijri called upon EU Parliaments to recognize the Palestinian people’s right to freedom and emancipation.

Similar symbolic motions have recently been passed in the parliaments of France, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Ireland.