Brussels (TDI): Foreign Minister of Belgium, Maxime Prévot, announced that Belgium will recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York, as part of a joint diplomatic effort led by France and Saudi Arabia.
Prévot emphasized that the recognition is intended as a political and diplomatic signal to revive and preserve the possibility of a two-state solution, which Israel is trying hard to erase.
The timing of this announcement aligns with growing international pressure and similar declarations from countries like Australia, Canada, the UK, and France; all of which will recognize Palestine at the 80th General Assembly this month.
It is noteworthy that seeing a flurry of such declarations from European countries, the United States has denied visas to Palestinian delegation to attend the UNGA sessions in New York.
Read More: US to Deny Visas to Palestinian Authority Officials as Europe Moves to Recognize Palestine
While most countries have announced recognition only, few have stepped forward with sanctions against Israel as well. Belgium is enacting a series of sanctions targeting Israel, such as a ban on imports from Israeli settlements, restrictions on government procurement involving Israeli companies, denying entry to extremist Israeli figures in Belgium, and bans on overflights and arms transit.
European countries have considered the possibility of sanctions in a fierce public outrage and push to cut off ties with Israel but most of such efforts hang in limbo.
More recently, Dutch Foreign Minister resigned after he could not get the needed approval from cabinet to sanction Israel. Turkiye, however, announced a complete cut-off of ties with Israel; restricting airspace, banning port docking, and shutting down all trade.
Belgium’s government has faced mounting pressure from the public to take action against Israel. Tens of thousands marched for ceasefires and state recognition. Academic voices were strong too, with over 6,600 academics urging Belgian universities to sever ties with Israeli institutions.
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