Late last night both Flemish and federal government parties reached agreement on their position on the Gaza war and relations with Israel. Additional humanitarian aid will be supplied to Gaza. Sanctions are being imposed on both Israel and terrorist outfit Hamas, and a Palestinian state will be recognised when several significant conditions are met.
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Belgium to recognise Palestine in due course
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After weeks of bickering the 3 Flemish and 5 federal government parties reached agreement on their respective governments’ positions on the war in Gaza. It happened almost simultaneously last night and that is not entirely a coincidence: there was, of course, mutual consultation. At the Flemish level in particular, there was a threat of a real government crisis, because socialist Vooruit and Christian democrat CD&V were threatening to use their votes in parliament to pass a resolution if a stronger stance was not taken against the violence in Gaza. The atmosphere at the federal level has also been tense in recent weeks.
According to Flemish PM Matthias Diependaele (nationalist), the political crisis at the Flemish level has now been averted. ‘It has not been a pleasant period and it was not nice to have such a sensitive issue causing such a commotion. But it is a good thing that we now have an agreement and that we know how we, as a governing team, will position ourselves with regard to the conflict.’
What do the agreements say?
Humanitarian aid
Additional humanitarian aid will be provided. ‘Belgium will step up its efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinians through all possible channels,’ according to the federal government. The international development minister will allocate 12.5 million euros on top of the 7 million euros already pledged this year for humanitarian aid to Gaza (within the current budget).
The Flemish government will subsidise the UN World Food Programme to the tune of 350,000 euros to meet the most pressing needs in Gaza.
Belgium will also actively help to evacuate children with complex conditions that cannot be treated in the region.
Belgium is also calling for a UN intervention force in Gaza to better regulate the distribution of food aid and protect the population.
Sanctions
A proposal is being drawn up for sanctions against Israeli settlers who use violence and Hamas leaders. These sanctions will include financial restrictions, the freezing of assets, entry bans, etc. In the meantime, violent settlers and Hamas terrorists on the European list are now persona non grata on Belgian territory.
The extremist Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich and the political and military leaders of Hamas are also persona non grata on Belgian territory. They are therefore no longer allowed to enter Belgium.
The office of the Flanders Investment & Trade agency (FIT) in Tel Aviv will not close. However, its activities will be restricted. It will not be allowed to work in the field of defence, will no longer promote trade and will not cooperate with companies operating in the occupied territories. In time, FIT will also play a role in the reconstruction of the Palestinian territories.
At the EU level Belgium is calling for an arms embargo on Israel and a partial suspension of the association agreement with Israel. Belgian arms exports to Israel will also be tightened and Israeli military aircraft will no longer be allowed to fly over the country for as long as the conflict lasts.
Following the example of Ireland and Slovenia, Belgium is working on a national import ban on goods produced, mined or processed by Israeli settlers in the territories occupied by Israel.
For Belgians living in settlements in colonised areas, Belgium is restricting access to consular services. In practice, Belgium is only legally obliged to provide emergency assistance.
Recognition of a Palestinian state?
Belgium is committed to recognising the Palestinian state in due course but has attached important conditions to this recognition. In practice, this will only happen by royal decree once the last Israeli hostage has been released and terrorist groups such as Hamas have been removed from the Palestinian administration.
Mindful of these conditions, Belgium will join the signatories of the New York Declaration, which advocates a two-state solution. Belgium will also join the countries that will soon announce their recognition of the Palestinian state at the United Nations.