Israeli-Portuguese relations

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Israeli-Portuguese relations
Location of Israel and Portugal
IsraelIsrael PortugalPortugal
Israel Portugal

The Israeli-Portuguese relations describe the interstate relationship between Israel and Portugal . They have had direct diplomatic relations since 1977.

Relationships are considered good. They are shaped on the one hand by the Jewish community and the history of Judaism in Portugal , and on the other hand by bilateral trade. Joint membership in multilateral organizations such as the OECD or the various UN organizations also unites the countries, and Israel cooperates militarily with NATO , of which Portugal is a founding member.

Since 1993 there has been a mutual visa exemption for up to 90 days. Portuguese tourists regularly travel to Israel, sometimes for religious reasons, to see holy places such as the presumed Church of the Nativity of Jesus in Bethlehem . Tourists from Israel also travel to Portugal, sometimes to visit the historic Jewish quarters, such as Belmonte .

In 2016, 135 Israeli citizens were registered in Portugal, with 41 of them most of them in the capital Lisbon . In 2014, 583 people were registered in the Portuguese consulates in Israel.

history

Until the 19th century

The synagogue in Belmonte , which dates back to the Middle Ages , is the capital of the association of Jewish communities in Portugal

It is possible that Jews came as early as the time of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar III. to the Iberian Peninsula . They have been archaeologically documented in Portugal since the first centuries AD.

Both countries were once part of the Roman Empire , today's Portugal from 206 BC. BC, today's Israel from 63 BC. Both later became part of the Arab Empire : while Israel came under Arab rule from 636 AD , Portugal was Arab from 711.

The history of the origins of today's Portugal is closely connected to the crusaders who stopped here from the 11th century on their way to the " Holy Land " in today's Israel and the Reconquista and thus the emergence of the Christian kingdom of Portugal after the expulsion of the Arabs drove with me. The Kingdom of Jerusalem , founded by the Crusaders afterwards, existed on the territory of today's Israel, which otherwise remained Arabic, then Ottoman . Christian pilgrims traveled to the Holy Land, including Portuguese.

After the arrival of the Inquisition in Portugal at the end of the 15th century, Jews were now also expelled from Portugal or stayed here as forcibly baptized " new Christians ".

With the re-establishment of Portuguese independence in 1640, the position of the Jews and New Christians in Portugal improved again as they increasingly acted as financiers for the kingdom. The royal family now also campaigned for investments by the emigrated Portuguese Jews, especially in Amsterdam and Hamburg . However, the number of Jews in Portugal increased only slowly and did not increase again until around 1800.

From the 20th century

In the 1920s, the current state of Israel first took shape when the League of Nations gave Great Britain the mandate over the area and the desired Jewish immigration etc. a. increased through the World Zionist Organization . Portugal also agreed to the necessary League of Nations mandate for Palestine .

Honor ceremony for Aristides de Sousa Mendes in Yad Vashem , 1967

After National Socialism came to power in Germany in 1933, there was renewed heavy immigration, the so-called “fifth Aliyah ”. The semi-fascist Estado Novo dictatorship in Portugal was officially on friendly terms with Nazi Germany , but actually stayed mostly at a distance. In particular, Portugal did not develop any anti-Semitic policies and did not participate in the persecution of the Jews , there was no deportation of its Jews and no participation in the Holocaust . In 1938 , the Sinagoga Kadoorie, the largest synagogue on the Iberian Peninsula , was opened in Porto .

During the Second World War (1939–1945) Portugal remained neutral and became a safe haven for refugees from occupied Europe who were able to travel on from here, including to the slowly emerging Israel (founded in 1948). During this time, individual Portuguese diplomats also made a contribution to the escape of Jewish people, contrary to the orders of the Salazar government , which tried to maintain strict neutrality and did not want to anger Nazi Germany. Particularly noteworthy are Aristides de Sousa Mendes and Carlos Sampaio Garrido . Sousa Mendes was the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux, France, and helped an estimated 30,000 people, including 10,000 Jews, to flee, although this ended his career. Garrido was Portugal's ambassador to Hungary's capital Budapest, and from there enabled around 1,000 Jews to flee. Of the Portuguese who saved Jews from extermination, three were later honored in Israel as Righteous Among the Nations and immortalized in the central Israeli memorial at Yad Vashem .

After Israel's declaration of independence on May 14, 1948, Portugal recognized the State of Israel.

On May 12, 1977, the two states entered into diplomatic relations. Portugal's ambassador to Rome, Rui Eduardo Barbosa de Medina , became the first Portuguese ambassador to Israel to be accredited on August 5, 1988.

November 29, 2017: Israel's President Rivlin (right) accepts the accreditation of the new Portuguese ambassador João Bernardo Weinstein (left).

After the Madrid Conference in 1991 and the Gaza-Jericho Agreement in 1994, relations intensified. In 1991, Portugal opened its embassy in Tel Aviv.

In October 1992, the countries signed a bilateral cultural agreement and an agreement on scientific and technical cooperation and cooperation in business and industry. A large number of other bilateral agreements followed, including further agreements on cooperation in industry, business, technology and science, a double taxation agreement , visa and passport agreements (visa exemption in 1993), and a series of agreements on cultural exchange.

With the Rede de Judiarias in 2011, a network of Portuguese locations was founded that housed historically significant Jewish communities. Uniform touristic marketing of the Rede de Judiarias route has since promoted interest in the long Jewish history in Portugal and maintains and disseminates knowledge about it in its own museums and events.

In 2012 a Portuguese economic commission made up of numerous Portuguese entrepreneurs traveled to Israel. In addition, an Israeli-Portuguese parliamentary group ( Grupo Parlamentar de Amizade Portugal-Israel ) has existed in the Portuguese Parliament since 2012 .

Since Law No. 30-A / 2015, which was published in the Portuguese Gazette on February 27, 2015, Portugal grants Portuguese citizenship to descendants of the Sephardi who fled Portugal from 1497 onwards . Justice Minister Paula Teixeira da Cruz said that given the historical flaw, this measure would only be fair if it came very late. The historical damage cannot be repaired anyway.

diplomacy

The Portuguese Consulate in Haifa

Portugal maintains an embassy in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv . There are also two Portuguese honorary consulates , one in Haifa and one in Tel Aviv.

Israel has an embassy in Portugal's capital, Lisbon , and there is also an Israeli consulate in Porto .

City friendships

In 1982, the Israeli Herzlia and the Portuguese Funchal on the island of Madeira formed the first Israeli-Portuguese city ​​friendship . This was followed by three more so far (as of 2017), all of them locations of the Rede de Judiarias , the union of medieval Portuguese villages with historical Jewish communities:

Culture

The Portuguese cultural institute Instituto Camões is mainly represented in Israel with a lecturer at Tel Aviv University .

As part of the Rede de Judiarias route, Jewish culture and history is also preserved in Portugal. In the synagogue of Tomar, for example, there is a Jewish museum that offers regular events. Events are also held at the Rede de Judiarias headquarters in Belmonte .

Jewish klezmer music is also played in Portugal, the best-known representatives are likely to be the group Melech Mechaya from Lisbon and Almada , who released their fifth album in 2017.

Israel was one of the countries where the Portuguese fado singer Amália Rodrigues was particularly successful. After a first concert in Tel Aviv in 1959, she returned frequently to guest performances and tours there. a. with a tour celebrated by Israeli critics in 1966 and a media-supported tour in 1978, during which she was awarded a medal of honor on stage in Tel Aviv.

economy

Cows at the Agro 2014 agricultural fair in Braga : Cattle are Portugal's most important export to Israel

The Portuguese Chamber of Commerce AICEP maintains a contact point at the Portuguese Embassy in Tel Aviv .

In 2016, Portugal exported goods and services worth 151.9 million euros to Israel ( 2015 : 112.4 million; 2014 : 90.6 million; 2013 : 99.0 million; 2012 : 106.6 million .), of which 39.6% agricultural products, 8.4% paper and cellulose, 8.3% ores and minerals, 7.9% machines and devices, and 7.5% wood and cork.

In the same period, Israel delivered goods and services worth 101.5 million euros to Portugal ( 2015 : 115.2 million; 2014 : 121.5 million; 2013 : 111.4 million; 2012 : 112.6 million .), of which 50.5% chemical-pharmaceutical products, 13.5% plastics and rubber, 9.3% optical and precision instruments, 6.8% ores and minerals, and 5.3% machines and devices.

For Portuguese foreign trade, Israel was 33rd as a buyer and 48th as a supplier, while in Israeli foreign trade, Portugal was ranked 41st as a buyer and 31st as a supplier.

Sports

Soccer

International match Israel-Portugal on March 22, 2013 in the Ramat Gan Stadium near Tel Aviv

The Israeli national soccer team and the Portuguese national team have met six times so far. For the first time they played against each other in qualifying for the 1982 World Cup , the game in Group 6 took place on December 17, 1980 in Lisbon and ended 3-0 for Portugal. Portugal won three encounters in total, Israel remained victorious once, and they drew twice (as of August 2017).

The Israeli and Portuguese women's national teams have not yet met (as of August 2017). The Israeli team has not yet competed in the Algarve Cup in Portugal either (as of 2017).

Israeli and Portuguese clubs have faced each other several times, including Benfica Lisbon and Hapoel Tel Aviv in Group B of the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League , which won their respective home games against each other.

The young Israeli national goalkeeper Omer Hanin also has Portuguese citizenship.

Other

The Israeli martial art Krav Maga has been practiced in Portugal since the 1990s . The umbrella organization Federação Portuguesa de Krav Maga, founded in 2004, has 1,500 members across the country and runs training programs and a. with the Portuguese Armed Forces and various police authorities in the country (2017 data).

Web links

Commons : Israeli-Portuguese Relations  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Overview of diplomatic relations with Israel at the Diplomatic Institute in the Portuguese Foreign Ministry , accessed on May 4, 2019
  2. ↑ Official Portuguese aliens statistics by district , Portuguese Aliens and Borders Authority SEF, accessed on September 9, 2017
  3. ↑ Portuguese website on Israeli-Portuguese migration , accessed September 9, 2017
  4. ↑ List of the ambassadors of Portugal in Israel ( memento of the original from December 31, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at the Diplomatic Institute in the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accessed on December 31, 2017 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / idi.mne.pt
  5. ↑ List of Israel's bilateral agreements ( list of results under State: Portugal ), website of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, accessed on January 1, 2018
  6. ↑ Website of the Grupo Parlamentar de Amizade Portugal-Israel Website of the Israeli embassy in Portugal, accessed on January 1, 2018
  7. ^ Displaced Jews from Spain and Portugal - A Passport for the Descendants , article from February 3, 2015 on Spiegel Online , accessed on January 1, 2018
  8. ↑ Naturalization of foreigners who are descendants of the Sephardic Jews from Portugal , German-language PDF download of the naturalization regulations, website of the Portuguese Foreign Ministry for the foreign communities, accessed on January 1, 2018
  9. ↑ List of Portuguese diplomatic missions abroad (under Israel ), website at the Portuguese Foreign Ministry, accessed on January 1, 2018
  10. ↑ Entry by the Israeli consulate in Porto on www.embaixadas.net, accessed on September 9, 2017
  11. ↑ Overview of the existing Israeli-Portuguese town twinning , website of the umbrella association of Portuguese district administrations, ANMP, accessed on January 1, 2018
  12. ↑ Overview of activities in Israel , Instituto Camões website, accessed on September 9, 2017
  13. ↑ Discography of the Melech Mechaya group , band's own website, accessed on January 1, 2018
  14. ^ Vítor Pavão dos Santos: Amália - Uma estranha forma de vida. Editorial Verbo, Lisbon 1992 ISBN 972-22-1505-1 , p. 199
  15. ↑ TV recording in the documentary The Art of Amália (2000, director: Bruno de Almeida ), from 1:20:35
  16. ^ AICEP page on the representation in Israel , AICEP website, accessed on September 9, 2017
  17. ↑ a b c Bilateral economic relations between Portugal and Israel , Excel file retrieval from the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce AICEP, accessed on September 9, 2017
  18. ^ Website of the Portuguese Krav Maga Association (port.), Accessed January 1, 2018