“Recognition of a Palestinian state requires a Palestinian Authority that is credible and democratic,” Belgian PM says

The interview was given to mark the federal government’s first 100 days in office and Mr De Wever’s first 100 days as Prime Minister.

The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is worsening, with Israel having blocked aid to Gaza since 2 March. On Sunday tens of thousands of people took the streets of Brussels on Sunday afternoon to call for a ceasefire in Palestine.

In the interview, Mr De Wever reiterated his support for the stance taken by the French president Emanuel Macron. The French president advocates a two-state solution, with mutual recognition of Israel and Palestine subject to conditions. This proposal has been formulated ahead of a conference to be held at the United Nations next month

"He (President Macron) has promised to send me the detailed text outlining his proposals. I intend to present this text to the cabinet", Mr De Wever. "Can we follow this initiative? I think it would useful to do so”, Mr De Wever said.

Today (Monday) the federal coalition parties are meeting again to draw up a motion for a resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The intention is to put the resolution before the Chamber of Representatives before the end of the month. However, as yet no agreement has been reached. The question of recognising a Palestinian state is on the table, but subject to conditions.

"We want to move towards the recognition of a Palestine state, but this should be within the framework of a two-state solution," explained Bart De Wever on Sunday. "This means that recognition of a Palestinian state will require a Palestinian Authority that is both credible and democratic”.

In the interview, the Belgium Prime Minister once again described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as "unacceptable".