BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — Maxime Prevot, Belgium’s foreign minister, said that his country will recognize the State of Palestine during the UN General Assembly meeting in September. There are “firm sanctions” against Israel that go along with this action, which comes after France made a similar promise.
Prevot, who is also Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister, tweeted on X, “Belgium will recognize Palestine at the UN session!” And strong punishments are being given to the Israeli government. He made it clear that the official recognition would be made official by a royal proclamation, but only after the last Israeli hostage in Gaza has been freed and Hamas is no longer involved in the fight.
The foreign minister also made it clear that “any antisemitism or glorification of terrorism by Hamas supporters” will be condemned much more strongly.
Prevot listed 12 national-level sanctions that are being put in place against Israel. Some of these steps are stopping the import of goods from Israeli settlements, looking at the rules for buying things from Israeli enterprises, and limiting consular help for Belgians residing in illegal settlements. Some Israeli officials may also face criminal charges, and some may not be able to fly over or transit through Belgium. Two “extremist Israeli ministers” and several “violent settlers” have also been declared “persona non grata” in Belgium.
Belgium’s statement adds to a growing number of Western countries, such as France, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Malta, that have said they will formally recognize a Palestinian state during the annual UN General Assembly, which starts on September 23. New Zealand, Finland, and Portugal are also thinking about doing something similar.
These countries have made recent declarations even though Israel is still carrying out military operations in Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he doesn’t want a Palestinian state. Netanyahu and his allies, notably the US, have said that recognizing a Palestinian state “emboldens militants” and makes it harder to make peace.