News

In a joint initiative of CPPC (Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation), CGTP-IN (General Confederation of Portuguese Workers)  and MPPM (Portuguese Movement for the Rights of the Palestinian People and for Peace in the Middle East), joined by other organizations, many dozens of people gathered in Palestine Square, in Oporto, to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Maria Spínola, Cristina Nogueira (CGTP-IN), José António Gomes (MPPM), and Ilda Figueiredo (CPPC) spoke at the meeting.

The speeches underlined the urgency of saying no to aggression, occupation and humiliation by Israel, which continues to disrespect international law and the rights of the Palestinian people, and demanded the Portuguese government and all governments to fulfill what they proclaim and promise, putting an end to connivance.

It was considered that the Portuguese government has an obligation to recognize the State of Palestine and condemn the crimes of Israel, with the...

MPPM – Portuguese Movement for the Rights of Palestinian People and for Peace in the Middle East condemn the unacceptable and inhuman situation to which the Israeli authorities subject thousands of Palestinians under administrative detention - detention without charge or trial, indefinitely extendable - and in particular the Palestinian activists on hunger strike, whose lives are in danger.

On 21 October last, United Nations experts warned that Kayed Al-Fasous (who completed 115 days of hunger strike on 6 November 2021) and Miqdad Al-Qawasameh (108 days on hunger strike) were, already then, in imminent danger of death, and are currently in intensive care.

On 5 November, the EU Representative for the Palestinians also expressed concern about the situation of these activists and called on Israel to refrain from extensive use of administrative detention, to ensure fair judicial process for all prisoners and to prevent the death of these activists.

Despite the very precarious situation in...

MPPM – Portuguese Movement for the Rights of Palestinian People and for Peace in the Middle East vehemently repudiates the illegalization by the Israeli government of Palestinian human rights organizations based in the occupied West Bank and demands that the government of Portugal firmly condemn that decision and demand its revocation.

1. Last week, Israel's Defence Minister, Benny Gantz, designated six Palestinian civil society associations as "terrorist organizations": Addameer - Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Al-Haq - Defending Human Rights, DCI-P - Defense of Children International - Palestine, Bisan Center for Research and Development, UAWC - Union of Agricultural Work Committees, and UPWC - Union of Palestinian Women Committees.

2. The designation, made pursuant to the so-called 2016 Anti-Terrorism Law, in practice outlaws the activities of these civil society groups, in that it allows Israeli authorities to close their offices, confiscate their property and arrest...

MPPM – Portuguese Movement for the Rights of the Palestinian People and for Peace in the Middle East - expresses its deep concern for the physical integrity, if not the lives, of Palestinian resistance fighters held by Israel, and calls on the Portuguese government to take the necessary actions to ensure that Israel respects the rights of Palestinian prisoners in its custody.

Immediately following the courageous escape of six Palestinian political prisoners from the high security Gilboa prison - located on the territory of the occupying power State of Israel, in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention - the Israeli Prison Service and occupying forces instituted a series of retaliatory measures against the more than 4700 Palestinian political prisoners incarcerated in Israeli prisons - which included the forced transfer and mass interrogation of prisoners, a ban on family visits, and the confinement of all prison sections with Palestinian political prisoners - and against the...

MPPM – the Portuguese Movement for the Rights of the Palestinian People and for Peace in the Middle East - regrets that, while solidarity demonstrations with the oppressed Palestinian people take place all over the world of football, the Sport Lisboa e Benfica football club chooses to partner with the oppressor, Israel.

Benfica announced on its official website that it has just established a partnership with the Israeli Academy of Football Excellence (AFEX). This  liaison aims to organize Football Camps, in Tel Aviv, between the 25th and 29th of July of this year.

«Sport Lisboa e Benfica coaches will work together with Israeli coaches, ensuring the methodological monitoring of all activities and ensuring that all participants will have the possibility of enjoying the unique experience of being part of a project that is a world reference in the development of young football players», the club states.

But no connection to Israeli football can ignore the commitment of its structures to the...

The Borough Assembly of Vila Franca de Xira passed a motion of solidarity with the Palestinian people that demands the release of Palestinian political prisoners from Israeli jails, the end of the blockade of Gaza Strip, the realization of the right of the Palestinian people to an independent state and that the Portuguese Government condemns unequivocally the attacks perpetrated by the State of Israel.

The motion was approved with 11 votes in favour, being 5 from CDU (Democratic Unit Coalition of the Communist Party and the Green Party), 5 from the Socialist Party and 1 from the Left Block, and 2 votes against from a coalition of Social Democratic Party, Land Party Movement and Popular Monarchic Party.

MOTION

IN DEFENCE OF PEACE IN PALESTINE - END OF THE AGGRESSION

For decades the people of Palestine have been permanently massacred by the State of Israel. This State, against all the decisions of the UN, still does not recognise the Palestinian State as an autonomous state. The...

Setúbal hosted the 2nd Meeting for Peace promoted by the CPPC – Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation together with 11 other organizations, including MPPM – Portuguese Movement for the Rights of Palestinian People and for Peace in the Middle East.

With the support of the Municipality of Setúbal, the second edition of the Meeting for Peace was held on Saturday 5 June at the Luísa Todi Municipal Forum, continuing an initiative that began in Loures on October 20, 2018.

The twelve promoting entities (CPPC — Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation, Municipality of Setúbal, Municipality of Loures, CGTP-IN — General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers, CPCCRD — Portuguese Confederation of Culture, Recreation and Sport Collectivities, FENPROF  —National Federation of Theachers' Unions, JOC —Young Catholic Workers, OCPM —Portuguese Catholic Work for Migrations, MDM — Women's Democratic Movement, Movement of Municipalities for Peace, MPPM and URAP — Union of Portuguese Antifascist...

MPPM – the Portuguese Movement for the Rights of the Palestinian People and for Peace in the Middle East denounces the  purchase by Lisbon transport company Carris of fifteen articulated trams to the multinational CAF, which is involved in the construction and operation of the Jerusalem Light Rail, an instrument of the consolidation of Israel's colonial rule in the city.

It was recently announced that a contract has been signed between Carris, a company wholly owned by the municipality of Lisbon, and CAF, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, SA, a multinational company based in the Spanish Basque Country, to supply fifteen articulated trams beginning in 2023.

CAF is associated with the Israeli company Shapir in the TransJerusalem J-Net consortium, which already had a contract for the expansion of the Jerusalem Light Rail (JLR) network and which has now been awarded a  15-year concession on the  operation and expansion of the JLR network. Shapir is listed in the United Nations’ dat...

The MPPM was awarded with the Municipal Medal of Merit of Palmela - Silver Degree - International Solidarity in a ceremony carried out today, June 1st, the Day of the Municipality, in the Municipal Theatre of São João.

The Mayor, Álvaro Balseiro Amaro, and the President of the Municipal Assembly, Ana Teresa Vicente, delivered the Medal and the respective Diploma. It was received, in representation of the MPPM, by Carlos Almeida, Vice-President, in the presence of the Ambassador of Palestine, Nabil Abuznaid.

The proposal for the attribution of the Medal was approved, unanimously, in a City Council meeting on May 5, and, also unanimously, in a Municipal Assembly session on May 13.

According to the Regulation of the Palmela Municipality decorations, "the Municipal Medal of Merit is destined to distinguish people, singular or collective, national or foreign, by its significant contribution in the environmental, social, cultural, economic and sportive field or by other contributions of notable...

The Platform for Peace and Disarmament, of which MPPM is a member, promoted yesterday May 31, in Lisbon, a debate under the theme «This Banner of Hope: A Look at the Palestinian Question».

With the support of the Foundation José Saramago, the event took place outside the Foundation offices and was moderated by Simão Bento (Projecto Ruído), with a significant attendance of a young and interested audience.

Idália Tiago (Foundation José Saramago) recalled José Saramago's commitment to the cause of Palestine to justify the full suitability of this initiative in the Foundation's space.

The initial speeches were made by MPPM (Raul Ramires) and MDM (Women's Democratic Movement).

This was followed by speeches by representatives of other organizations that are members of the Platform, namely, AEFCSH (Students' Association of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities), JCP (Communist Youth), Pioneiros de Portugal (Portugal Young Pioneers), Interjovem (Youth Section of the General Confederation...