In what carries the whiff of yet another ‘groundhog day’ faux-pas by Portuguese authorities, a further ship flying the Portuguese flag has been identified as transporting military equipment to Israel.
The Holger G (reportedly German owned) left India last month carrying 440 tonnes of mortar bomb parts, projectiles and military-grade steel, bound for Haifa, Israel – where it is scheduled to arrive ‘by the end of the year’.
The 89-metre cargo ship is already close to Egypt’s Port Said – where the cargo could ostensibly be unloaded and carried the final relatively short distance to Israel by road. Thus the urgency of a number of organisations in Portugal – including the CGTP trade union confederation – to strip the vessel of its Portuguese flag BEFORE the cargo is unloaded.
News that this latest shipment was taking place came from Amnesty International which has been urging countries “not to assist in the transportation of explosives to Israel”.
Amnesty’s concern lies in the “clear risk” that Holger G’s cargo will “contribute to the ongoing genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip, as well as to war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians”.
The concerns of groups in Portugal is that this is yet another example of Portugal ‘saying one thing and doing another’.
Isabel Camarinha, former CGTP secretary-general and current president of the Council for Peace and Cooperation, explains: “The Portuguese government, which has recognised the state of Palestine, is doing nothing to respect the Palestinian state and the rights of its people, who continue to be the target of genocide and occupation that violates all the principles of international law.”
This is not the first time a Portuguese-flagged vessel has been used for the transportation of explosive material to Israel – and it is certainly not the first time that organisations in Portugal have complained bitterly about the apparent double-standards, insisting that the Portuguese flag be removed before it can be seen to have flown over the delivery of lethal equipment.
Turkish news portal AA (Anadalou Adjansi) also cites Amnesty as saying that Portugal “as the (Holger G’s) flag state and a party to the Arms Trade Treaty, has a responsibility to make every effort to stop the cargo”.
The Portuguese organisations pushing for this are the Movement for the Rights of the Palestinian People and Peace in the Middle East (MPPM), the Ruído Project Youth Association, the Portuguese Council of Peace and Cooperation (CPPC) and the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP-IN).
In a statement delivered to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lisbon, the four entities also asked the government to prohibit the Holger G from transiting Portuguese territorial waters and/ or entering Portuguese ports in future.
Their position was addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, currently on government business in Poland.
Speaking to Lusa from Warsaw today, Mr Rangel said he was aware of the Holger G – but declined to comment further.
Amnesty International’s attempts to stop the cargo reaching Israel may already have failed (given the Holger G’s proximity to a road link from Port Said). Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns was quoted in a statement made on Thursday as saying the “deadly cargo” is destined for Israel’s biggest arms manufacturer, Elbit Systems, as well as its subsidiary IMI Systems.
Source: Lusa/ Amnesty International/ Anadolou Anjansi
