Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Belgium has joined the ranks of Australia, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom, all of which have pledged to recognize the state of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly next week in an effort to intensify pressure on the Netanyahu government to end the aggression on Gaza and alleviate the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevost announced that his country will recognize the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly session scheduled to open on September 9. This move adds further international pressure on Israel after Australia, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom took similar steps.
Prevost wrote in a post on the X platform: "Belgium will recognize Palestine during the UN session! And it will impose strict sanctions on the Israeli government." According to the Brussels-based Euronews website, the Belgian diplomat revealed that his government will impose 12 sanctions on Israel at the national level in the wake of what he described as the "humanitarian tragedy in Palestine" and in response to the violence perpetrated by Israel in violation of international law.
Prevost said: "Belgium had to take strong decisions to increase pressure on the Israeli government." The minister added, "It's not about imposing sanctions on the Israeli people, but rather about ensuring that their government respects international and humanitarian law and takes action to try to change the situation on the ground."
The sanctions will include a ban on importing products from settlements, a review of public procurement policies with Israeli companies, and restrictions on consular assistance to Belgian citizens residing in illegal settlements.
They will also include potential prosecutions, a ban on flights and transit, and the designation of two extremist Israeli ministers, Hamas leaders, and several violent settlers as "persona non grata" in Belgium.
Although Prevot did not name the two Israeli ministers, he is likely referring to far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have faced similar measures taken against them by other EU countries, such as the Netherlands.
Prevot also announced that Belgium will move to support EU-wide measures to suspend cooperation with Israel, including suspending the bloc's association agreement with the Jewish state and research and technical cooperation programs. The same source quoted the minister as saying, "Belgium will recognize Palestine when the joint initiative between France and Saudi Arabia is officially announced! It is a strong political and diplomatic gesture to preserve the chances of a two-state solution." He added that Brussels will participate in this initiative "to express its condemnation of Israel's expansionist ambitions, its settlement programs, and its military occupations."