The Palestinian embassy in Lisbon will change, next Friday, its plaque and raise a new flag in a ceremony that aims to mark the recognition of the Palestinian State by Portugal, it was announced this Wednesday.
“We will change our embassy’s plaque and proudly raise a new Palestinian flag with its beautiful colors to mark Portugal’s historic and courageous political declaration of recognizing the State of Palestine as a sovereign state with full rights”, said the embassy.
The ceremony, scheduled for 11 am on Friday, will mark “a change of status” for the Palestinian representation, with the new sign designating the place as an embassy, said a source from the diplomatic representation.
The change will be made following Portugal’s recognition of the Palestinian State, formally assumed at the United Nations on September 21st.
“Today, September 21, 2025, the Portuguese State officially recognizes the State of Palestine”, announced the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, at the time, in a statement made at the Portuguese mission to the United Nations, in New York.
“On this day when Portugal recognizes the State of Palestine and when it reaffirms its desire to strengthen the deep and ancient friendly relations between the Portuguese people and the Israeli people and the renewed and auspicious friendly relations with the Palestinian people, we urge, from the bottom of our hearts, that all hostilities cease, that an opportunity be given to reestablish humanitarian aid, that a sliver of light be opened for peace,” said Paulo Rangel.
Portugal’s recognition of the sovereign State of Palestine took place in a week in which the same decision was formalized by nine other countries, at a high-level conference on the two-state solution (Israel and Palestine) in the region, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
In addition to Portugal, France, which was at the basis of the initiative, Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta, the United Kingdom and San Marino recognized Palestine.
Portugal’s decision was applauded by the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, who considered it “an important and necessary step” to achieve “a just and lasting peace, based on international legitimacy”.
The Palestinian ambassador in Lisbon, Rawan Sulaiman, considered the recognition as “a clear message” sent to the Israeli Government about the rights of Palestinians.
“Recognition is the first practical step to send a message that we have the right to life, to existence, to have our own State, to self-determination”, said the diplomat at the time, when Portugal had one.
For his part, the Israeli ambassador in Lisbon, Oren Rozenblat, rejected the Portuguese “unilateral recognition” of the State of Palestine, which he considered a “mistaken declaration” that “damages any prospect of peace and only serves to reward terrorism”.
The official existence of an embassy can only happen when the host country recognizes the represented country as a sovereign State and its leader as an ambassador and official representative of the interests of the country of origin.
The ambassador has the ability to negotiate agreements and maintain diplomatic and institutional relations, and the embassy is considered the territory of the country of origin (in this case, Palestine), operating under the laws of that country.