The foreign affairs committee of Portugal’s parliament has unanimously approved a proposal from the Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda) to call minister Paulo Rangel to testify on the situation of a Portuguese-flagged ship believed to be carrying explosives destined for Israel. But it has shown no signs of haste: the hearing has not been scheduled until October 15, by which time MV Katrin will almost certainly have delivered its cargo. The Left Bloc had asked for Mr Rangel’s explanations as a matter of urgency, having also asked the public prosecution service to “monitor and prevent Portugal from being accused internationally of complicity in genocide”.
Parliament sets date to hear minister over Portuguese-flagged ship allegedly carrying explosive material to Israel
UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese has written over social media that she is "extremely concerned by #Portugal's potential sponsorship of the ship and for facilitating Kathrin's delivery. This may be a breach of the #Genocide Convention". Image above: a file photo of the Portuguese flagged vessel, owned by German company Concord Shipping
