Palmela City Council unanimously approves motion of solidarity with the Palestinian people

The City Council of Palmela, in the district of Setubal, unanimously approved, on the past 7th of December, a motion in which it deliberates to "join, once again, the celebrations of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and the struggle for self-determination of the Palestinian people" and to "continue to demand the fulfilment of the United Nations Resolutions, the respect for International Law and the end of the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel".

The motion begins by recalling that 29 November marked 75 years since the adoption of the so-called "Partition Resolution", "from the outset, unusual because the UN was not vested with any sovereignty over the country" and "while the state of Israel was quickly formalised, the independent state of Palestine never materialised."

"Decade after decade, the world has watched, with relative placidity, the policy of aggression, persecution and ethnic cleansing on the Palestinian people, who have been denied their territory, their rights, their self-determination and, in many cases, their freedom and their lives," the motion continues.

The motion recalls that "the Municipality of Palmela has maintained close relations of friendship and cooperation with the Diplomatic Mission of Palestine in Portugal and has taken multiple political positions and solidarity actions, in defence of the Palestinian cause" and emphasizes that "all positions and support expressed to the Palestinian people do not constitute, in no way an attack on the Israeli and Jewish people or a manifestation of anti-Semitism - Palmela being proud of its Jewish roots, well expressed in the Historic Centre - but a coherent and holistic political vision, always in favour of Peace and self-determination of all peoples."

The current municipal executive of Palmela is composed of four elected by the coalition between the Portuguese Communist Party and the Ecological Party The Greens, three by the Socialist Party, one by the Citizens' Movement for the Municipality of Palmela and one by the Social Democratic Party.