Prévost announced via his X account that Belgium would recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly session scheduled for September 9, and that it would impose 12 sanctions on Israel for its violations against the Palestinians.
"I'm very happy this happened because, for moral and legal reasons, we felt obligated to reach an agreement within the ruling coalition on this matter," Prevot told Anadolu Agency.
He added, "We had to send a strong message to Israel to stop expanding illegal settlements and refrain from obstructing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people."
The Belgian minister noted that "many women and children in the Gaza Strip are suffering from hunger," describing this as "completely unacceptable."
He also stressed the need to adhere to the principle of the two-state solution, saying: "If we want a two-state solution, as the name suggests, then we really need two states, but the current position of the Israeli government seriously threatens this solution."
Brivot explained that the decision was a joint initiative with Saudi Arabia and France, and will be announced during the UN General Assembly meetings in New York this month. He added that the move aims to send a "strong diplomatic message."
Regarding his description of the events in Gaza, he said: "Frankly, in my personal opinion, this is clearly genocide. That's why I pushed hard within the Belgian government for a clear decision, which was achieved last night."
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Regarding the European Union's position, Prevost considered the bloc's avoidance of imposing sanctions on Israel "weakening the credibility of its foreign policy," adding, "We, as a European Union, must have the ability to send clear messages together."
In contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked his Belgian counterpart, Bart de Wever, describing him as a "weak leader."
"Belgian Prime Minister de Wever is seeking to appease Islamic terrorism by sacrificing Israel. He wants to feed the terrorist crocodile in the hope of delaying its devouring of Belgium," he said in a statement issued by his office. "Israel will not agree to this and will continue to defend itself," he added.
Since March 2, Israel has closed all Gaza crossings, allowing only a tiny number of trucks carrying humanitarian aid into the Strip, plunging the territory into a famine that the United Nations has warned will rapidly worsen.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 63,746 Palestinians dead, 161,245 wounded, most of them children and women, more than 9,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that has killed 367 Palestinians, including 131 children.
