Portugal officially recognised the State of Palestine on 21 September 2025, alongside the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia — the day before Macron's historic speech at the UN. "Today, 21 September 2025, the Portuguese State officially recognises the State of Palestine", declared Foreign Affairs Minister Paulo Rangel from Portugal's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York. A decision that is part of an unprecedented European diplomatic dynamic, but also in a Portuguese history marked by colonialism, decolonisation, and a particular sensitivity to the struggles of peoples for their self-determination.
To understand all the countries that have recognised Palestine, consult our article on which countries support Palestine. And for the history of the international recognition movement, read our dossier on the Nakba: history, meaning and the memory of a people.
Why does Portugal understand the struggle of peoples for self-determination?
To understand why Portugal recognises Palestine with a certain naturalness, one must first understand its post-colonial history. Portugal was, for five centuries, one of the greatest colonial powers in the world — the first global maritime empire, present in Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East. In 1974, the Carnation Revolution (Revolução dos Cravos) of 25 April ended fifty years of dictatorship under Salazar and Caetano, and with it thirteen years of colonial wars in Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. In 1975, all of Portugal's African colonies achieved independence.
This experience — first as a colonial power, then as a country that had to decolonise under pressure from colonised peoples and its own people — left a deep imprint on Portuguese political culture. The Portuguese left, dominant since the democratic Transition, identified with anti-colonial struggles and the rights of peoples to self-determination. Solidarity movements with Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau forged a militant generation that sees in Palestine a similar cause — a people fighting for their self-determination against an occupying power.
The great Portuguese novelist José Saramago, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998, was co-founder of the Portuguese Movement for the Rights of the Palestinian People and Peace in the Middle East (MPPM) — one of the organisations that coordinated demonstrations in Lisbon until his death in 2010. His commitment to Palestine was part of a broader commitment to the rights of oppressed peoples, in continuity with his communist and third-worldist engagement. His name is regularly invoked at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Portugal.
What was Portugal's diplomatic position on Palestine before 2025?
Like most European countries, Portugal long maintained a position of verbal support for the two-state solution without taking the step of official recognition. But unlike some of its neighbours, Lisbon displayed a broadly favourable stance towards Palestinian rights in international bodies — voting for UN resolutions supporting Palestine, financially supporting UNRWA, and maintaining relations with the Palestinian Authority.
Portugal's position has always been closer to Spain's than to Germany's or the UK's on this issue. The Iberian Peninsula shares a left-wing political culture in solidarity with Global South causes. When Spain recognised Palestine in May 2024, Portugal was one of the countries that observed the decision with the most interest — without going so far as to follow immediately, preferring to wait for a broader European consensus.
Portugal also voted in favour of Palestine's admission as a non-member observer state to the UN in 2012. It regularly participates in international humanitarian missions in Palestine and contributes to humanitarian aid through multilateral organisations. In 2024, while several European countries suspended their contributions to UNRWA following accusations linked to Hamas, Portugal maintained its support for the agency.
How did Portugal recognise Palestine in 2025?
The Portuguese recognition follows a cautious and deliberate trajectory. In July 2025, after France announced its intention to recognise Palestine in September, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro consulted the main political parties and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. On 31 July, his office announced that Portugal "envisages recognising the Palestinian State" for September. Foreign Affairs Minister Paulo Rangel declared that Portugal "has always shown its openness" to such recognition, and that it was taking "a shared path" with its allies — while specifying that Portuguese policy "is not defined by other states".
In September 2025, Portugal participated in the high-level international conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on the two-state solution. This participation placed it within the diplomatic dynamic that led to the New York Declaration of 12 September 2025. On 21 September, Paulo Rangel made the official announcement from New York: "Portugal advocates the two-state solution as the only path to a just and lasting peace, a peace that promotes coexistence and peaceful relations between Israel and Palestine." He simultaneously called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and the restoration of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
On 31 October 2025, an official ceremony was held at the Palestinian Embassy in Lisbon. The sign at the entrance changed: from "Diplomatic Mission of Palestine" to "Embassy of the State of Palestine". The national anthems of both countries were performed. A powerful symbolic moment, concretising official recognition in bilateral relations.
What is the pro-Palestinian mobilisation in Portugal?
Since October 2023, Portuguese civil society has regularly mobilised for Palestine. In Lisbon, on the Chiado square and in the streets leading to Parliament, demonstrations have gathered hundreds to several thousand people. In October 2024, a massive demonstration in Lisbon, organised by the Portuguese Association for the Rights of the Palestinian People (MPPM), the Portuguese Council for Peace (CPPC) and the Portuguese Communist Party, demanded an end to the genocide and the recognition of Palestine. In June 2025, hundreds of demonstrators marched from Chiado to Parliament demanding recognition, with the presence of several left-wing MPs.
The pro-Palestinian movement in Portugal is carried by a broad coalition: trade unions (CGTP-IN), parliamentary left (Left Bloc, Communist Party, Livre), NGOs, cultural associations and the Arab diaspora present in Lisbon and Porto. This cross-party mobilisation contributed to political pressure on Montenegro's centre-right government, which ultimately chose to recognise Palestine rather than isolate itself diplomatically in the face of the European dynamic of September 2025.
The figure of José Saramago is regularly invoked at these gatherings — during demonstrations on 29 November (International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People), participants hold a minute of silence in memory of Palestinian victims and in homage to the writer, co-founder of the MPPM.
What is the link between Portugal, the CPLP and Palestine?
Portugal is a founding member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), created in 1996 in Lisbon. This organisation brings together Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor and Equatorial Guinea — representing more than 260 million Portuguese speakers worldwide. Almost all of these countries have a long tradition of solidarity with Palestine: Angola and Mozambique, formerly colonised countries, recognised Palestine as early as 1988; Brazil has historically aligned itself with support for the peoples of the Global South.
This positioning of the CPLP reinforces the coherence of the Portuguese recognition. Lisbon found itself out of step with its own partners in the Lusophone community — all in favour of Palestine — by not having yet recognised it. The recognition of September 2025 restores this coherence. It also places Portugal in the "Global South camp" on the Palestinian question, alongside countries that have themselves gone through struggles of decolonisation.
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Sources
— Portuguese Government, Portugal formally recognises the Palestinian State, 21 September 2025.
— WAFA (Palestinian News Agency), Lisbon: Official ceremony celebrating Portugal's recognition of the State of Palestine, October 2025.
— Euronews, Portugal in turn considers recognising a Palestinian State in September, July 2025.
— Euronews, Portugal: hundreds of demonstrators demand recognition of the Palestinian State, June 2025.
— France 24, Recognition of the State of Palestine by the UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal, September 2025.
— IRIS (Institute of International and Strategic Relations), Israel-Palestine, the quest for recognition, September 2025.
Your frequently asked questions about Portugal and Palestine
When did Portugal recognise the State of Palestine?
Portugal officially recognised the State of Palestine on 21 September 2025, the day before Emmanuel Macron's speech at the UN. The announcement was made by Foreign Affairs Minister Paulo Rangel from Portugal's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. On 31 October 2025, an official ceremony was held at the Palestinian Embassy in Lisbon, marking the change of sign from "Diplomatic Mission" to "Embassy of the State of Palestine".
Why did Portugal recognise Palestine in 2025 rather than in 2024 like Spain?
Portugal preferred to wait for a broader European consensus before acting, unlike Spain which took a strong unilateral decision in May 2024. Prime Minister Montenegro consulted the political parties and the President of the Republic before announcing recognition in July 2025. The dynamic created by France in September 2025 offered a collective framework that better suited Portugal's cautious diplomatic approach.
What is the link between José Saramago and Palestine?
José Saramago, Portuguese Nobel Prize for Literature (1998) and one of the most celebrated writers in the Portuguese language, was co-founder of the Portuguese Movement for the Rights of the Palestinian People and Peace in the Middle East (MPPM). His commitment to Palestine was part of a broader commitment to the rights of oppressed peoples. His name is regularly invoked at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Lisbon.
What is the CPLP and what is its link with Palestine?
The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), founded in 1996 in Lisbon, brings together 9 countries including Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique and East Timor. Almost all of its members recognised Palestine in 1988 or shortly after — all are in favour of Palestine. Portugal's 2025 recognition restores coherence between Lisbon and its Lusophone community partners.
Does Boutique Palestine deliver to Portugal?
Yes, Boutique Palestine delivers to Portugal with free shipping, in 5 to 8 working days. Our Portugal Palestine World Cup 2026 jersey is available exclusively.