WEST BANK (Dispatches) – The Palestinian Authority (PA) has welcomed the decision by the Portuguese parliament to recognize the 1948 Palestinian Nakba, a statement announced.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the statement: “The PA welcomed the Portuguese Parliament’s decision to recognize the Nakba that happened to the Palestinians in 1948, as well as its expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
According to the statement, the PA considered the decision “a true expression of Portugal’s solidarity with the plight of the Palestinian people, which has been going on for 75 years.”
Meanwhile, it praised the decision as a first step towards the Portuguese government’s recognition of the State of Palestine and a step toward adopting resolutions that consider the Nakba a human tragedy.
The Portuguese parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution recognizing Nakba Day or “Day of Catastrophe,” when the occupying regime was created at the expense of the forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland.
The parliament also praised the Palestinian struggle to obtain the right to self-determination.
At the same time, the Portuguese resolution condemned the Zionist regime’s expansionist and annexation policies, emphasizing the practices are in blatant violation of international laws.
It also called on the Portuguese government to take a clear position in defending the right of the Palestinian people as guaranteed by international conventions.
The Zionist regime proclaimed its illegal existence on May 15, 1948 when about 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homeland. The day is known among Palestinians as the Day of Nakba, or catastrophe.