Pressure mounts on Portugal over ship carrying explosive material for Israel

Portugal is facing sustained pressure to remove its national flag from a ship carrying explosives for Israel, as the vessel nears docking in Montenegro, Portugal Resident reported.

The cargo carried by the German-owned MV Katherine is set to arrive in the Balkans state for transfer to an arms manufacturer supplying arms to Israel.

Lisbon has been critical of Israel's actions in Gaza, and in March pledged an extra 10 million euros to the UN's Palestinian refugees agency, despite Israeli calls for a boycott.

Last week, Presidency Minister António Leitão Amaro said a legal review was underway on withdrawing the Portuguese flag, however, no action has been taken.

Calls for Portugal to disassociate itself from the MV Katherine grew in August when Namibia refused its permission to dock due to the Israel-bound cargo.

Portuguese Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel responded to concerns raised at the time by highlighting that the ship was German-owned, was not headed to Israel and was not carrying weapons. However, in interviews given to Portuguese media last week, the minister conceded that the material would be headed to arms factories, including in Israel.

On Wednesday, UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine Francesca Albanese took to X to urge Portugal to take action.

"Over the past year, I have commended #Portugal's principled stance concerning Palestine, especially in the face of the hypocrisy displayed by many other European countries," Albanese wrote.

"I now implore the Portuguese government to preserve this integrity, and urgently request the removal of its flag from Vessel #Kathrin, as it carries weapons destined to Israel," she added, highlighting the obligation of states to "respect and ensure respect" for the Geneva convention in light of the World Court's recognition of plausible genocide in Gaza.

In Portugal, a petition of 3,000 names calling for the flag's removal was recently delivered to the Council of Ministers by Left Bloc (BE) coordinator Mariana Mortágua.

Rangel is set to hold a hearing on the matter on 15 October, weeks after the vessel is due to dock.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed over 41,000 Palestinians and wounded tens of thousands more, with vast areas of the coastal enclave now in ruins.

The assault has increased pressure on states to ensure that arms exports to Israel are not used to commit war crimes against Palestinians.

Earlier in September, the United Kingdom became the latest European country to restrict arms exports to Israel. Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands have imposed full or partial restrictions on the exports.