Summary
- The Belgian parliament held an emergency session on
Gaza.
- Discussed recognizing Palestinian state amid crisis.
- Calls for Israeli sanctions and arms embargo.
- Urged action before the UN General Assembly.
- Coalition divided on Palestine policy stance.
The discussion comes after Maxime Prévot, the
foreign minister, formally proposed advancing a recognition and sanctions
package before the UN General Assembly in September.
Prévot, a prominent member of the centrist Les Engagés party, has advocated for Belgium to adopt a more assertive posture. He claimed during the parliamentary debate that Belgium would "lose all credibility" when discussing a two-state solution if it did not formally recognize Palestine in September.
"If Belgium does not make progress towards official recognition in September, there will soon be nothing left to recognise,"
he said, according to reports from The National.
Meanwhile, Belgium has already agreed to support
a request by the European Commission to partially suspend 'Israel's'
participation in the Horizon Europe research program, which may cost Israel
funds totaling about €400 million. 'Israel's' government would get the
"first concrete" European censure, according to Prévot.
Additionally, he delivered a draft of a Royal
Decree that would forbid the shipment of weapons to Israel or Palestine across
Belgian airspace, strengthening Belgium's current restriction on arms sales.
The extraordinary meeting takes place as
pressure mounts on the EU and the global community to address the humanitarian
crisis in Gaza.
According to 'Israel's' Kan 11 news, an Ibiza
real estate agent canceled a vacation rental for a party of clients after
discovering that two of them were 'Israeli' nationals, stating that they would
not be allowed to stay "until the genocide in Palestine stops."
The conflict started when one of the customers
called the agent to inquire about a partial cancellation, claiming that it was
due to "the war in our country." When the agent asked about the
group's nationality and was informed that two of them were from
"Israel," she declined to make the reservation.
In text exchanges shared by local media, the agent stated,
“I’m sorry, but you are not welcome until the genocide with Palestine stops.”
She also informed them she would donate the 2,500 euro
(almost USD 3,000) security deposit they had paid to support Palestine.
Later, she cut off all communication with the group. The remaining members of the group, who were allegedly from France, were given the opportunity to proceed with the booking but turned it down, according to the messages.
What actions might the Belgian parliament consider to address Gaza's humanitarian crisis?
Many Belgian MPs and organizations urge the
government to formally recognize Palestine as a state, aligning with moves by
other European countries ahead of the UN General Assembly.
Proposals include imposing sanctions on Israel
such as suspending trade, freezing assets, excluding Israel from international
financial systems (e.g., SWIFT), and banning the sale or transit of weapons to
Israel.
There are calls to expel the Israeli ambassador
and ban entry of far-right Israeli ministers involved in policies seen as
worsening the humanitarian situation.