Belgium Reveals Plans to Recognize State of Palestine
(MENAFN) Belgium will officially recognize Palestine as a state during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York later this month, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot revealed Monday.
Announcing the move via the social media platform X, Prevot declared that Belgium will align with other nations in affirming Palestinian statehood while simultaneously imposing a series of sanctions on the Israeli government.
“Firm sanctions are being imposed on the Israeli government. Any antisemitism or glorification of terrorism by Hamas supporters will also be more strongly condemned,” he stated.
Prevot emphasized that these measures aim to uphold international law rather than target Israeli civilians.
This decision places Belgium alongside countries such as France, the UK, Canada, and Australia, all of which have announced intentions to recognize Palestine during the General Assembly—already supported by 147 member states. The session is set to commence on Sept. 9.
Israel continues its occupation of Palestinian territories and rejects any withdrawal that would allow for an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on pre-1967 borders.
In a related development on Friday, the U.S. State Department canceled visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the General Assembly meeting.
This diplomatic tension unfolds amid intensifying global condemnation of Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, where over 63,500 Palestinians have died in air and ground assaults following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
Since early March, Israel’s total blockade of Gaza has plunged the enclave’s 2.4 million residents into a humanitarian crisis marked by famine, rampant disease, and the collapse of vital services.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza conflict.
Israel also faces a genocide lawsuit at the International Court of Justice concerning its military actions in Gaza.
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