Israel–Portugal Relations

Israel maintains an embassy in Lisbon and an honorary consulate in Porto; its diplomatic-missions listing dates the establishment of relations with Portugal to January 1977.[8] The Lisbon embassy is listed at Rua António Enes, 16–4.[1] The relationship developed from consular contacts and limited trade into ambassador-level diplomacy, scientific cooperation, and a wider network of municipal, parliamentary, and community connections.[4]

Economic and cultural engagement has included Israeli agricultural expertise in Portuguese villages, scholarships for Israeli scientists, bilateral research arrangements, and direct air links between Tel Aviv and Lisbon.[4][9][10] Portuguese citizenship opportunities for descendants of Sephardic Jews also became a significant connection between the countries, linking family heritage with travel, tourism, and interest in business cooperation.[5]

The Israeli embassy’s political and public-relations department follows developments in Portugal, Israel, and third countries, paying particular attention to the Portuguese parliament and the countries’ activities in international organizations.[11] Education, academic cooperation and exchanges, tourism, and Portugal’s Jewish heritage are among the fields identified in the embassy’s account of bilateral engagement.[11] Parliamentary support for closer ties has not eliminated policy differences: Portugal’s parliament endorsed greater cooperation in 2023, while the Portuguese government subsequently recognized a Palestinian state in 2025.[6][7]

Israel opened a consulate general in Lisbon in 1958, following diplomatic contacts in other European capitals, with the expectation that consular representation would lead to full diplomatic relations.[4] That expectation was not immediately realized, although an Israeli diplomatic mission was maintained in Lisbon from 1959.[4] Also in 1959, the Bank of Israel and the Bank of Portugal signed an agreement, and commercial relations developed during the following decade.[4]

Early trade was relatively modest and concentrated in a limited range of commodities.[4] In 1969, Israeli exports to Portugal amounted to $1,542,000, mainly cotton and diamonds, while Israeli imports from Portugal totaled $297,000, principally copra and wood.[4] Political relations did not consistently follow the direction of commercial engagement: Portugal usually abstained or supported Arab positions on United Nations questions concerning Israel, while Israel voted against Portugal several times on colonialism-related questions.[4]

Portugal played a distinctive role in the American effort to resupply Israel during the October 1973 Yom Kippur War.[2][3] Other European countries’ refusal to provide airspace complicated Operation Nickel Grass and forced American resupply aircraft to make a detour of nearly 2,000 miles; Portugal was an exception to those refusals.[2] The United States sought access to Lajes air base in the Azores so aircraft carrying urgently needed military assistance to Israel could refuel.[3]

Portuguese officials raised concerns about retaliation, including an oil embargo, Arab intervention in Portuguese Africa, and attacks on Portuguese aircraft or nationals.[3] A subsequent American response expressed appreciation for Portugal’s cooperation and characterized it as contributing to an end to the bloodshed and facilitating peace negotiations.[3] A Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs commentary presents Portugal as the only European country to grant landing rights to the American airlift, emphasizing that those rights applied in the Azores rather than on the European mainland.[12]

Portugal’s 1974 Carnation Revolution was followed by political upheaval before the establishment of a regular constitutional government in 1976.[4] During the political struggle of 1974–76, the Portuguese Socialist Party leadership faced accusations of “collusion” with Israel.[4] The Soares government established ambassador-level relations at the beginning of 1977, following an exploratory mission to Jerusalem led by Jaime Gama.[4] Portuguese parliament chairman Salgado Zenha also visited Israel as an official guest of the Israeli Labor Party.[4]

Israel opened an embassy in Lisbon, with Ephraim Eldar serving as its first ambassador, but opposition within Portugal prevented the opening of a Portuguese embassy in Israel at that stage.[4] In a 1977 conversation with United States Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal Allon said Portugal had promised to open a consulate within a year and that Israel was waiting to see whether it would do so.[13] The conversation recorded a prospective undertaking rather than the opening of the consulate itself.[13]

The uneven development of diplomatic representation remained evident in a September 11, 1984 meeting with Portuguese Minister-Counselor José Luyz-Gomez.[14] He described bilateral relations as good but said Portugal had not established an embassy in Israel, citing limited resources and political considerations.[14] His explanation included concern that locating an embassy in Jerusalem would anger Arab governments with which Portugal maintained important relations.[14]

Municipal visits accompanied the growth of cultural links during the early 1980s.[4] In 1983, Lisbon Mayor Nuno Kruz Abecassi traveled to Israel for the Fourth Jerusalem Conference of Mayors.[4] Jorge Sampaio visited Israel twice while serving as Lisbon mayor and subsequently became Portugal’s president in 1996.[4]

In December 2019, Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Lisbon, where he met Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa and United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.[15] It was the first visit to Portugal by an Israeli prime minister since Ehud Barak’s visit in 2000.[15] The Costa meeting was a courtesy call, while Netanyahu said his discussions with Pompeo would address Iran, a proposed United States–Israel defense pact, and possible American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley.[15]

Portugal’s parliament marked Israel’s 75th anniversary in May 2023 with a resolution calling for the expansion of the Abraham Accords, greater economic and cultural cooperation between Lisbon and Jerusalem, and a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[6] Israeli Ambassador Dor Shapira welcomed the vote as a first in Portugal’s history and an important milestone in the relationship.[6]

Israeli agricultural and fisheries specialists worked in Portuguese villages after diplomatic relations were established, including on projects raising freshwater carp in artificial ponds.[4] Portugal’s Gulbenkian Foundation provided scholarships to Israeli scientists, while cultural and economic links strengthened more broadly.[4] During the early 1980s, Institutes for Portuguese-Israel Cultural Relations operated in Porto and Guarda as cultural exchanges increased.[4]

Trade expanded substantially from its earlier commodity-based scale.[4] Israeli exports to Portugal reached $21.6 million in 1978 and consisted mainly of machinery, chemicals, medicines, and textiles; Portuguese exports to Israel totaled $9.4 million, principally raw materials, especially wood.[4] In 1980, Israeli exports to Portugal amounted to $61 million and imports from Portugal to $16.1 million.[4] The corresponding figures for 2004 were $76.1 million and $70.1 million, respectively.[4]

Later figures show a shift in the direction of the goods-trade balance.[16] Israel recorded a $1.6 million surplus with Portugal in 2013, but a $102.9 million deficit in 2017.[16] Over that period, Israeli imports from Portugal rose from $120.7 million to $210.8 million, while Israeli exports declined from $122.3 million to $107.9 million.[16] Chemicals and chemical products accounted for $63 million of Israeli exports in 2017; imports from Portugal included $102 million in the statistical category of animal production, hunting, and related activities.[16]

In an August 2024 interview, Ambassador Shapira put annual bilateral trade at approximately $500 million and said it was increasing.[17] He identified technology and business as areas for further cooperation, describing reciprocal business delegations interested in learning about the establishment of technology hubs.[17] Israeli water-technology companies had also presented their capabilities to the Portuguese government and begun discussions with it.[17] Shapira described Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas as interested in developing the city as a technology center and looking to Israel as an example.[17]

A science-and-technology memorandum of understanding signed in 2014 was intended to encourage joint research, seminars, and institutional exchanges.[9] Support was to come from Portugal’s science foundation, FCT, and Israel’s Ministry of Science and Technology.[9] Lisbon became the headquarters of Web Summit in 2016, adding another technology-related setting to the Portuguese environment in which bilateral business contacts developed.[9]

Tourism cooperation received a formal framework in January 2010, when Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov and Portuguese Tourism Minister Bernardo Trindade signed an agreement.[18] At the time, TAP intended to resume a scheduled Lisbon–Tel Aviv route and planned discussions with Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority, with service envisaged toward the end of 2010.[18] That announcement concerned a planned service rather than confirmation that flights had begun.[18]

In 2018, TAP announced daily Tel Aviv–Lisbon flights beginning April 1, 2019, using 168-seat Airbus A321 aircraft.[10] At the time of that announcement, El Al’s Sun D’Or operated two weekly flights between Tel Aviv and Portugal, while Arkia and Israir operated seasonal services.[10] A 2019 account also noted the launch of direct El Al flights between Tel Aviv and Lisbon and plans for TAP’s daily service.[5] By his August 2024 interview, Shapira reported 18 direct flights per week during the preceding summer, compared with periods when there had been no direct service or only one or two weekly flights.[17]

Cooperation has also extended beyond the two countries.[19] In a 2021 Jerusalem Post commentary, Israeli Intelligence Minister Elazar Stern cited a cooperation agreement with MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, to provide assistance in Africa, already implemented in Guinea.[19] In the same account, Stern commended Portugal for allowing Israeli Air Force aircraft to land in the country during training exercises.[19]

Portugal’s citizenship initiative for descendants of Sephardic Jews connected bilateral relations with the recovery of Portuguese Jewish family roots.[5] In 2019, approximately 26,000 people claiming Portuguese heritage had applied and about 8,000 passports had been issued.[5] Portugal’s secretary of state for tourism presented the initiative as connecting the country’s past with its present and future.[5] The visiting official’s agenda included tourism promotion, cooperation between Portuguese and Israeli technology businesses and startups, and encouraging greater Israeli investment in Portugal.[5]

The opportunity for Sephardic Jews to reconnect with Portuguese roots also inspired Israeli Foreign Ministry adviser Ashley Perry to launch the Knesset Caucus for the Reconnection with the Descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Communities in October 2015.[6] In 2024, Shapira reported that approximately 60,000 Israelis had obtained Portuguese citizenship, with tens of thousands more waiting.[17] He estimated Portugal’s Jewish community at around 3,000 people and said hundreds of Israelis lived in Portugal, describing the Israeli community there as growing.[17]

Community organizations have participated alongside diplomats and government officials.[20] A 15-member American Jewish Committee delegation visiting Lisbon in 2016 met Foreign Affairs Minister Augusto Santos Silva, members of Prime Minister António Costa’s cabinet, and other officials.[20] It also met Israeli Ambassador Tzipora Rimon and Lisbon Jewish Community leaders, and celebrated Shabbat with community representatives.[20] Discussions covered relations with Israel and the United States, Sephardic citizenship, antisemitism, and Israeli-Palestinian peace.[20]

Jewish heritage and Holocaust remembrance featured in the 2021 gathering at which Portuguese Ambassador Jorge Cabral discussed Portugal’s participation as a full member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, as recounted in the Jerusalem Post commentary.[19] On December 16, 2022, Lisbon City Hall hosted its first-ever Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony, jointly hosted by Mayor Carlos Moedas and the Israeli ambassador.[21] The ambassador emphasized respect for religious diversity.[21]

Public solidarity with Israel was visible after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.[22] On October 11, the Portuguese parliament building was illuminated in blue and white at an event attended by the Israeli ambassador, other diplomatic officials, and members of parliament.[22] In November 2024, Portugal’s parliament launched an Israel Allies Caucus intended to provide a parliamentary platform for strengthening relations with Israel through faith-based diplomacy.[23] Its members included lawmakers from the center-right Social Democratic Party and the right-wing Chega Party; Socialist Party lawmakers did not officially join.[23]

A study conducted for the Jewish Community of Lisbon surveyed 1,200 adults in mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Regions between May 15 and June 4, 2026.[24] It found that 59 percent considered it important to distinguish Portugal’s Jewish community from the State of Israel, while 49 percent believed recent events in Israel damaged the image of Jews generally.[24] Eighty percent disagreed that Jews outside Israel should be held responsible for Israeli government actions.[24] These findings concerned public attitudes toward Jews and Israel rather than the Portuguese government’s diplomatic policy.[24]

Portugal’s engagement with Israel has included both support for bilateral cooperation and independent positions on Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy.[6][7] In December 2014, the Portuguese parliament called on the government to recognize an independent Palestinian state in coordination with the European Union at the “most appropriate moment.”[25] The motion, introduced by center-right and socialist parties, also reaffirmed that “only negotiations can ensure security and peace in this region.”[25] It was a parliamentary request for government action, not the completion of recognition at that time.[25]

Portugal’s positions in international institutions have sometimes differed from Israel’s.[4][17] A 2011 Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs commentary places Portugal among five European Union members that supported the United Nations General Assembly’s November 5, 2009 resolution, “Credible, Independent Investigations into Alleged War Crimes in Gaza,” concerning the Goldstone report.[26] In his 2024 interview, Shapira characterized Portuguese foreign policy as seeking relations with different countries and a mediating role.[17] He said Portugal often voted against Israel at the United Nations as part of a tendency to vote with the majority, citing its support for a General Assembly request concerning the International Court of Justice and the legality of Israeli occupation.[17]

After the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on November 21, 2024, Portugal stated that it would comply with them.[6] In July 2025, Portugal was considering recognition of a Palestinian state during the September United Nations General Assembly high-level week, following contacts with international partners.[6] Its stated concerns included the humanitarian situation in Gaza and possible Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories.[6] President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said the proposed step had been carefully considered and aligned with consultations among European allies.[6]

Portugal announced recognition of a Palestinian state on September 21, 2025.[27][7] Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel presented the decision as implementing a longstanding Portuguese foreign-policy principle and supporting a two-state solution as a route to a just and lasting peace.[7] He called for an urgent ceasefire and the release of all hostages, and said Hamas could not exercise control in Gaza or elsewhere.[7] Rangel also criticized the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, including hunger and destruction, and Israeli settlement expansion.[7]

Recognition was followed by continuing discussion of European economic measures concerning Israeli settlements.[28] In September 2026, Portugal was among 12 countries that announced plans to restrict trade in settlement goods or were actively considering such measures, subject to national procedures.[28] Their joint statement characterized the settlements as illegal under international law, and the initiative followed the failure of a similar proposal to advance at European Union level.[28] The announcement did not establish that Portugal had implemented restrictions, supply a Portugal-specific implementation date, or clarify whether any restrictions would extend to services.[28]

Portugal’s recognition of a Palestinian state produced sharply differing domestic responses in September 2025.[27] The Socialist Party welcomed the decision, while Chega condemned it.[27] The Jewish Community of Lisbon accepted recognition as legitimate in principle but objected to its timing while hostages remained captive and Hamas remained armed.[27] Other Jewish organizations and opponents argued that the government had departed from previously stated conditions for recognition.[27]

Citizenship reform also raised concerns involving Israelis held hostage in Gaza.[29] In January 2024, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa referred a proposed amendment for constitutional review, citing among his concerns possible harm to hostages whose Portuguese citizenship applications were pending.[29] The proposal would require residence and a current connection to Portugal and make eligibility based on historic Iberian Jewish surnames more difficult.[29] Yossi Sharabi, abducted from Be’eri on October 7 and later killed in captivity, had been applying for Portuguese citizenship.[29]

Antisemitic incidents and rhetoric increased in Portugal after the October 7 attacks and Israel’s response, including the defacing of a Porto synagogue.[22] At a December 2023 protest at Lisbon City Hall, activists accused the mayor of complicity with “Israeli genocide and apartheid”; those were the protesters’ allegations, not established findings.[22]