The world can withstand two wars simultaneously but with “very high costs”, especially for the poorest, Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said on Sunday.
“Can the world cope? It can, but that means very high costs, especially very high costs for the poorest,” emphasised Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, adding that in wars like the one in Ukraine or Israel, “those who have the least always suffer the most,” whether they are people, regions, states or continents.
Speaking to journalists, Rebelo de Sousa recalled that the Russian-Ukrainian war and the Israeli-Palestinian wars in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic are leaving “a mark on the lives of people, communities and states that are difficult to measure at the moment” because “they are not over”.
“While in Ukraine we are dealing with a conflict between two states, here we are dealing with a terrorist attack on a state, but this terrorist attack indeed comes from a part of what is not yet a state, but which the United Nations would hope could become a state to coexist with the state of Israel,” he explained.
Asked whether he agreed with Prime Minister António Costa’s statement that Israel has the right to defend itself militarily but must do so with respect for the civilian population of Gaza, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa distinguished the ongoing conflicts.
In this context, he said, “applying the principles and values of international law here implies a very high level of sensitivity, care and concern”.
The president emphasised Portugal’s efforts through the Foreign Ministry to remove Portuguese nationals on Israeli territory.
“Portugal even went further because it gave transport to nationals from other states who also wanted to leave. It can’t give it to everyone, but it can give it to those who wouldn’t have the means to set up an exit scheme,” he said.
Despite the differences, he believes “the two conflicts are delicate”. In the case of Ukraine, involving “practically all the world powers”, there is a “balance of power that is being discussed”, and, in the case of Israel, “there is a problem of balance of power and difficulty in finding a way forward”.
“The European Union has played a very important role in all these situations, as has the United Nations in the space it has, which is often not much,” he said.
Rebelo de Sousa states, “the European Union has been able to distinguish the terrorist attack from the continuity of the economic support it provides to the Palestinian populations”.
“It’s such a complex and sensitive balance and management that you can’t be too careful when you’re commenting on such a reality,” he admitted.
(Ana Ferreira, edited by Nuno Simas | Lusa.pt)
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