Left wing opposition puts government on spot
A new ‘outrage’ has landed on Portugal’s doorstep by dint of the fact that a Portuguese-flagged vessel has been identified en-route for the Mediterranean Sea, carrying bombs and missiles produced for Israel.
The cargo ship, the MV Kathrin, (“sailing under the flag of Madeira” according to vesselfinder.com) is currently anchored off the coast of Namibia, as the country has refused to allow it to enter any of its ports.
Opposition parties in Portugal have seized on the situation, using it to put pressure on the government.
In a series of questions, Bloco de Esquerda wants to establish if Luís Montenegro’s executive is prepared to allow Portuguese ships to be involved in transporting arms to Israel.
This is an extremely delicate situation, given that the MV Kathrin is not Portuguese. It is owned by a German company. According to one online media source, the company is called Concord Shipping.
This has also been stated by online ‘balticshipping.com’, giving the company name as Concord Shipping – Jork, Germany.
Whatever the ownership, the vessel is sailing under a Portuguese flag, and as such Portugal could be seen as complicit in what many have come to consider as a genocide, violating international laws.
Foreign affairs minister Paulo Rangel has already spoke out against “Israel’s perpetuation of ‘intolerable attacks’ on the people trapped in Gaza” – and given an “unfavorable opinion on the export of arms and ammunition to Israel”. These positions suggest Portugal would not be prepared to see itself as complicit in the transport of bombs and missiles to Israel.
Will Portugal be “complicit in the ongoing massacre”?
This is the unavoidable question.
According to Maren Mantovani, a member of the international secretariat of the Palestinian National Committee, which contacted Público about this situation: “The Kathrin sails under the Portuguese flag, which literally means that it sails under the sovereignty of the State of Portugal. The government should at least investigate and withdraw the flag from the ship if it doesn’t receive guarantees that keeping it doesn’t include engaging in genocide and violating international laws”.
For now, BE’s Marisa Matias has sent the government the following three questions:
1.”Has the government already withdrawn the flag from the ship banned from docking in Namibian ports for carrying arms to Israel?
2) “Will the government ban any ship flying the Portuguese flag from being involved in the transport of arms, ammunition and military equipment to Israel?
- “Or will it make Portugal an accomplice in the ongoing massacre?’
According to the most recent reports, Paulo Rangel has “guaranteed” that his ministry has “not received any alert about this ship”, but assures that it is trying to “ascertain the situation”.
A source for the ministry has also referred to the fact that “it has (already) banned the export of arms and ammunition to Israel, and has also refused all requests to do so”.
On this basis, the logical next step would be to hear that MV Kathrin is indeed no longer sailing under any variation of Portuguese flag.
This story will be updated.
natasha.donn@portugalresident.com
