The Israeli Ambassador to Portugal has said his country will not be participating in next month's Web Summit in Lisbon, as a result of comments made by its Chief Executive and co-founder Paddy Cosgrave.
In a message posted on the social media platform X, Dor Shapira said he had written to the Mayor of Lisbon informing him of the decision, blaming what he described as "outrageous statements" made by Mr Cosgrave related to the current Israel-Palestine conflict.
"Even during these difficult times, he is unable to set aside his extreme political views and denounce the Hamas terrorist activities against innocent people," he said.
"Dozens of companies have already cancelled their participation in this conference, and we encourage more to do so."
On Friday, Mr Cosgrave wrote in a post on X that he was "shocked at the rhetoric and actions of so many Western leaders & governments, with the exception in particular of Ireland’s government, who for once are doing the right thing.
"War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are."
The post was met with a strong response by a range of tech figures and others, including the former Chief Executive of PayPal, David Marcus.
He was saddened by the "ill-informed stance" and said he would never attend, sponsor or speak at any of Web Summit’s events again.
Mr Cosgrave later posted another message saying "what Hamas did is outrageous and disgusting. It is by every measure an act of monstrous evil.
"Israel has a right to defend itself, but it does not, as I have already stated, have a right to break international law."
While today he posted: "We are devastated to see the terrible killings and the level of innocent civilian casualties in Israel and Gaza.
"We condemn the attacks by Hamas and extend our deepest sympathies to everyone who has lost loved ones. We hope for peaceful reconciliation."
In a statement following Israel's decision not to take part in the event, Web Summit organisers said: "We understand that it is an incredibly sensitive and painful time during this utter tragedy of war. We want to reiterate our devastation for the loss of innocent life in Israel and Gaza.
"We strongly condemn the horrific attacks by Hamas on Israelis.
"Web Summit's mission is to connect people and ideas changing the world from all around the globe. The more voices we have from around the world, the more we can help change the world for the better.
"We are saddened to hear that some Israelis in the tech community will no longer be attending Web Summit. We regret any hurt caused and extend our deepest sympathies to everyone who has lost loved ones. We hope for peaceful reconciliation."
The conference is due to take place in Lisbon from 13 to 16 November.
