Belgium to recognise a Palestinian state at the UNGA
Belgium joins the ranks of Australia, France, Canada and the UK, all who have pledged to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) next week in a bid to ramp up pressure on the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza and alleviate the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Belgium will recognize Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in New York later this month, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced Monday.
In a statement on the US social media company X’s platform, Prevot said Belgium will join other countries in recognizing Palestinian statehood while adopting a package of sanctions against Israel.
“Firm sanctions are being imposed on the Israeli government. Any antisemitism or glorification of terrorism by Hamas supporters will also be more strongly condemned,” he wrote.
Prevot stressed that the steps were meant to uphold international law, not punish Israeli citizens.
Belgium’s decision comes as several countries announced similar plans to recognize Palestine during the General Assembly, joining 147 nations that already do. The General Assembly begins on Sept. 9.
Israel continues to occupy Palestinian territories and rejects a withdrawal that would allow for an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the pre-1967 borders.
On Friday, the US State Department said it was canceling visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the gathering.
The move came amid growing global outrage over Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, where more than 63,500 Palestinians have been killed in air and ground attacks since the Palestinian group Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
