Belgium’s Historic Recognition of Palestine
Belgium is set to recognize the State of Palestine during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), as confirmed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prevot. This announcement comes amid growing international scrutiny of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“Palestine will be recognised by Belgium at the UN session! And firm sanctions will be imposed against the Israeli government,” Prevot declared on social media platform X on Tuesday morning. He also serves as the deputy prime minister.
Details of the Sanctions
In addition to recognition, Belgium will impose 12 specific sanctions against Israel. These will include:
- A ban on importing products from Israeli settlements
- A review of public procurement policies that involve Israeli companies
Prevot remarked that this decision is driven by the humanitarian crisis currently affecting Palestine, especially in Gaza.
Context of the Announcement
The Belgian government’s declaration follows a similar announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron in July, who indicated that France would recognize Palestine at the UNGA, scheduled for September 9 to 23 in New York. Since that time, several other nations have indicated plans to follow suit, albeit with potential conditions for recognition.
As of April 2023, approximately 147 nations—representing 75 percent of UN member states—had already recognized Palestinian statehood.
This announcement comes against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict, which has resulted in over 63,000 deaths and more than 160,000 injuries in Gaza due to Israel’s military operations.
In a further legal development, Belgian prosecutors recently referred a war crimes complaint involving two Israeli soldiers to the International Criminal Court (ICC) amid accusations of their involvement in atrocities in Gaza.
This is a developing story, and further updates will be provided.
