The Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Prévot, announced on X on Tuesday 2 September that “Palestine will be recognised by Belgium at the UN session”, while specifying that the administrative formalisation of this recognition by royal judgment will take place once the last Israeli hostage has been released and Hamas no longer assumes any management of Gaza.
Mr Prévot explained that “firm sanctions” would be taken at national level, including “a ban on imports of products from the settlements, a review of the public procurement policy regarding purchases from Israeli companies, restrictions on consular assistance to Belgians living in the settlements (...), potential legal proceedings, overflight and transit bans, inclusion on the list of ‘personae non gratae’ for our country of two extremist Israeli ministers, several violent settlers and Hamas leaders”.
The Minister added that Belgium would, at a European level, support measures requiring a qualified majority of Member States at the Council of the EU to suspend cooperation with Israel, including the suspension of the association agreement with the EU, research programmes, technical cooperation, and so on. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)