A Portuguese forum organized by settlers from the occupied West Bank claimed to fight anti-Semitism, but many critics viewed it as a vehicle for pro-Israel narratives echoing traditional disinformation strategies.
Named the “IBEX 2026 Forum,” the event was held in Lisbon and Porto, Portugal, from May 4 to 7. IBEX stands for Iberia Middle East Exchange, a Zionist propaganda group focused on the Iberian Peninsula, especially active within Portugal.
The organisation’s most prominent representatives—Portuguese Jews Yosef and Elisheva Santos, who have also acquired Israeli citizenship—reside in Neve Daniel, an illegal settlement located in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian land Israeli colonial forces insist on calling “Judea.”
What prompted these proponents of genocide to come to Portugal amid their country’s simultaneous conflicts with Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran? They declared their mission was to deliver “accurate information, initiatives for responsible dialogue and actions promoting truth, respect, justice and human dignity.”
Indeed, the phrase “truth, respect, justice and human dignity” is used quite seriously—traits that Israel purportedly exemplifies and wishes to teach globally.
It is well documented that Zionist militant groups involved in the violent founding of Israel received training under Mussolini’s fascist Italy; for instance, the Irgun’s leader, future Prime Minister Menachem Begin, served in the Duce’s naval forces.
Therefore, it is no shock that Zionist propaganda methods still bear noticeable influences from Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s chief propagandist. While today’s techniques may seem more blunt, in Portugal they benefit from a permissive environment nurtured by closely tied Lisbon political elites and media aligned with Israeli agendas.
So, what objective did the settlers behind the “IBEX Forum” claim? To “combat anti-Semitism in Portugal.”
Even this statement, though presented in English, needs interpretation.
What these propagandists truly aim for is to suppress and challenge any faction within Portuguese society that exposes or criticizes the crimes committed by Zionism and the Israeli state.
To advance this goal, Israeli operatives vowed to “bring the best of Israel to every showcase in the country, from north to south—television and radio, cultural centres, theatres, cinemas, galleries, universities. Nothing will be left out.”
This amounted to a well-orchestrated propaganda offensive.
In reality, they introduced an ideological campaign designed mainly for a Portuguese middle class vulnerable to manipulation by technocracy and superficial cultural and artistic influences rather than substantial critique.
Back in the 1970s, Abba Eban, Labour foreign minister under Golda Meir’s government, foresaw the type of propaganda now being promoted in Portugal by the Santos couple. He explained that one of the primary goals of engaging the world was to demonstrate “that there is no distinction between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.”
Put plainly, opposing Israel’s criminal policies equates to being anti-Semitic.
This intentional conflation lies at the heart of Zionist discourse. Yet Zionism itself is deeply anti-Semitic because it targets and oppresses Semitic groups such as Palestinians. Moreover, many early Zionist leaders were not ethnically Semitic as understood in a Middle Eastern context. The settler populations that established and continue to lead Israel mainly descended from Europe, North America, Africa, and southern Arabia.
The Santos emissaries’ greatest falsehood is their claim to Semitic identity while accusing all Zionism critics of anti-Semitism. It is equally misleading to assert that all Jews worldwide align with Zionism. Numerous Jewish individuals reject such narratives, refusing association with aggressive wars, genocide, extermination, and ethnic cleansing.
These realities are unsurprising when dealing with Israel. It is worth recalling that the Santos settlers appeared in Portugal to profess that Zionism upholds “truth, justice and human dignity.”
Yet the ongoing horrors witnessed in Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran starkly contradict any genuine respect for “human dignity.”
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