Belgium to recognise Palestine, impose sanctions on Israel

Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Prevot has announced that Belgium will recognize Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) later this month.

“Belgium will recognize Palestine at the UN session!” And the Israeli government will face severe sanctions, Prevot, who also serves as deputy prime minister, wrote early on Tuesday on the social media platform X.

Prevot outlined Belgium’s intention to impose 12 “firm sanctions” on Israel, including a ban on importing goods from the settlements and a “review of public procurement practices with Israeli companies.”

He continued, “in light of the humanitarian tragedy occurring in Palestine, particularly in Gaza,” that the announcement had been made.

President Emmanuel Macron made the announcement at the end of July that France would recognize Palestine at the UNGA, which will take place in New York from September 9 to September 23.

Numerous other nations have made statements that they will do the same following this, though some have said they will put restrictions on their acceptance.

Some 147 nations, which make up 75% of the UN, had already ratified Palestinian statehood in April of this year.

At least 63, 459 people have been killed and 160, and 256 more have been wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza, according to Belgium’s announcement.

Following allegations that two Israeli soldiers had engaged in atrocities in Gaza, Belgian prosecutors filed a war crimes complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in July.