According to a note published on website Belen’s spokesman said that “the President of the Republic spoke by telephone with his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog at his request.”

“The President of Israel wanted to explain the postponement of the visit to Portugal (which was scheduled for early November), as well as to inform the President of Portugal about his country’s position on the current situation,” the statement said.

According to the same text, the Israeli president “thanked Portugal for its immediate condemnation of the terrorist attacks.”

“Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa spoke about Portugal’s position within the framework of international and constitutional values ​​and principles. Naturally, the significance of the human lives involved was taken into account,” the text adds.

Last week, during his state visit to Belgium, the President of the Republic said Portugal “clearly condemned the Hamas terrorist attack” on October 7 on Israeli soil, defending Israel’s “legitimate right to respond to Hamas.” , but separating this Islamist group from “the Palestinian people as a whole” and condemning “behavior and actions which, when targeted at innocent civilian victims, are clearly deplorable.”