Brussels, September 2: Belgium will recognise the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly this month and impose sanctions on Israel, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said on Tuesday, joining a growing number of European countries taking similar steps.
“Palestine will be recognised by Belgium at the U.N. session! And firm sanctions are being imposed against the Israeli government,” Prévot wrote on X.
The U.N. General Assembly meets from Sept. 9 to 23 in New York. In July, French President Emmanuel Macron announced France would recognise a Palestinian state at the session, and more than a dozen Western countries have since urged others to follow suit.
Prévot said Belgium’s decision was driven by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israeli offensives have displaced most of the population at least once and the United Nations has declared a famine.
“In the face of the violence perpetrated by Israel in violation of international law … Belgium had to take strong decisions to increase pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas terrorists,” he said.
He added that the move was not aimed at punishing the Israeli people but at pressing Israel’s government to respect international and humanitarian law and to change the situation on the ground. Israel’s government did not immediately comment on Belgium’s announcement.
