Vessel carrying explosives withdraws Portuguese flag
The ship ‘Kathrin’, which is carrying explosives bound for Israel, has withdrawn the Portuguese flag.
What?
The ship ‘Kathrin’, which is carrying explosives bound for Israel has asked for the Portuguese flag to be withdrawn, calling it an ‘irreversible’ decision.
It “follows the endeavours and requests for clarification” made by the Portuguese government, which “has always been evaluating and consulting with the shipowner”.
Lusa reported that the executive had to act “very discreetly at all times”.
This process is expected to take “two or three days”, but until the flag changes, the ship cannot enter any port and will have to remain offshore.
At issue is the ship ‘Kathrin’, German-owned and registered in Madeira, which is carrying explosive material destined for arms manufacturers in Israel, Poland and Slovakia.
UN Guterres
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced that the country had banned the UN Secretary General from the country for not condemning Iran’s massive attack on Israel on Tuesday night, the Portuguese Government urged Israel to ‘reconsider its decision’ to declare the Secretary-General of the United Nations ‘persona non grata’.
‘The Ministry of Foreign Affairs deeply regrets the Israeli government’s decision to declare UN Secretary-General António Guterres ‘persona non grata’,’ wrote the ministry headed by Paulo Rangel on the social network X.
Guterres' mission, it stressed, is “indispensable for ensuring dialogue, peace and multilateralism”.
Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also called on Israel to reconsider its decision.
Speaking in Viseu, President Marcelo told reporters: “I think it would be very wise for the Israeli authorities to reconsider that attitude, because it was disproportionate.”
“In relations between states and international institutions, if the idea is to build peace, in the more or less short term, reconsidering these decisions is a matter of common sense,” he concluded.
UN Rapporteur
Also this week, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, visited Portugal.
During a public hearing in the Portuguese Parliament, she pointed out what she says is the ‘incoherence’ of Portugal and other European countries in defending the two-state solution without recognising the State of Palestine.
“We keep talking about a two-state solution without recognising the State of Palestine. It just shows the incoherence, the inconsistency, the inability to do what is said,” said Francesca Albanese.
For Albanese, the priority issue in this conflict is no longer recognising Palestine, but helping to “put an end to the massacre of people in Gaza, which is spreading to the West Bank”.
In a session attended only by the parliamentary left (PS, BE, PCP, Livre and PAN), the UN rapporteur regretted being received in Portugal, as in other Western countries, only by left-wing parties, calling for the idea to be instilled that this matter cannot be dependent on ‘partisanship’.
“I wonder what’s wrong with people. Why is it that when I go to Western countries, the only parliamentarians who meet me are from the left, where are the others? I really ask you to try to instil this feeling that it's not about partisanship. Human life cannot be considered under the banner of one party or another. There is no difference between Israeli life and Palestinian life,” she said.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, didn’t meet with her, saying that they had conflicting agendas.
Very intelligent decision of Mr Paulo Rangel that he did not meet with mrs. Albanese. You can have all the critics on Israel, Netanyahu and whatever as long as it is balanced. Mrs. Albanese however shows a shocking amount of onesided antisemitic hamas propaganda oneliners concerning Israel which a normal human being cannot take serious anymore. It would have been a waist of time talking with this poor example of a UN member.