Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced Tuesday that Belgium will recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month and impose sanctions on Israel.
In a statement posted on X, Prevot said the measures include a ban on the import of products from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, a review of public procurement contracts with Israeli companies, and the designation of two Israeli government ministers and “several violent settlers” as persona non grata in Belgium, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
He stressed that recognition of Palestinian statehood would only be formalised by royal decree once the last captive has been released from Gaza and “Hamas no longer has any role in managing Palestine.”
The move comes as European divisions deepen over how to respond to Israel’s war in Gaza, with some governments calling for stronger pressure on Tel Aviv while others remain firmly aligned with Israeli policy.
