Portuguese Parliament approves vote of solidarity with the Palestinian people on the 75th anniversary of the Nakba

The Assembly of the Republic (Portuguese Parliament) has approved a vote of solidarity with the Palestinian people in which it urges "the Portuguese Government, in the light of the country's Fundamental Law, the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, to take a clear and forceful position in defence of the rights of the Palestinian people and compliance with the UN resolutions that enshrine them."

The draft vote was signed by MPs Joana Mortágua BE (left Bloc), Ivan Gonçalves PS (Socialist Party), Bruno Dias PCP (Portuguese Communist Party), Ana Isabel Santos PS, Carla Sousa PS, Tiago Brandão Rodrigues PS, Isabel Moreira PS, Miguel Matos PS, and Jamila Madeira PS, who are part of the Portugal-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Commission and was approved on 18 July 2023, with amendments proposed by the PS, in the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities (2nd Committee), with votes in favour from PS, PCP and BE, and votes against from PSD (Portuguese Social-Democartic Party) and Chega (radical right party).

The approval of the Vote was ratified by the Plenary of the Assembly of the Republic on 19 July 2023.

The Portuguese parliamentary initiative, formally recognising the Palestinian Nakba, was widely reported and welcomed in Palestinian circles and in the Arab world.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in a statement called the decision "a true expression of Portugal's solidarity with the plight of the Palestinian people, which has lasted for 75 years".

The ministry praised the decision as a first step towards the recognition of the State of Palestine by the Portuguese government and also considered it a step towards the adoption of resolutions that consider the Palestinian catastrophe a human tragedy, which must be recognised by the countries of the world to address its effects and repercussions over the last decades.

This is the text of the Vote adopted by the 2nd Committee and ratified by the Plenary:

Draft Vote No 346/XV
In Solidarity with the Palestinian people
on the 75th anniversary of the Nakba

In the national memory of the Palestinian people, 15 May 1948 is known as Nakba, catastrophe, marking the mass displacement and expropriation of Palestinians from their homes and lands by Israeli forces. This violent campaign, marked by massacres such as the one in Deir Yassin on 11 April 1948, would result in the forced expulsion of Palestinians estimated at around 750,000 people.

To date, there have been 75 years of occupation and expansion of settlements, in violation of international law, imposing a system of discrimination and segregation of the Palestinian population by Israel.

The Palestinian people are indebted to solidarity in their just and legitimate struggle for the right to an independent state, with the 1967 borders, with its capital in East Jerusalem, and for respect for the right of return of Palestinian refugees.

This year, for the first time, in compliance with Resolution A/RES/77/23 adopted on 30 November 2022, the United Nations (UN) marked the date with an official act in the General Assembly session hall, thus reaffirming its responsibility and commitment to respecting the rights of the Palestinian people.

The Assembly of the Republic, meeting in Plenary Session, pays tribute to the struggle of the Palestinian people for the realisation of their right to self-determination, which international law protects and UN resolutions enshrine and, in the spirit of that UN resolution, resolves:

1 - To welcome all national and international initiatives that allow the past not to pass unnoticed and that recall the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the illegal expansion of settlements that still persists today, in a violent manner, in a posture of frontal disrespect for International Law and United Nations resolutions.

2 - To urge the Portuguese Government, in the light of the country's Fundamental Law, the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, to take a clear and forceful position in defence of the rights of the Palestinian people and compliance with the UN resolutions that enshrine them.

Palace of São Bento, 18 July 2023