Belgium to recognise Palestine at UN General Assembly

Recognition to be conditional on release of Israeli hostages, demilitarisation of Hamas and Palestinian elections

Maxime Prevot, Belgium's Foreign Minister, has said his country is preparing to impose sanctions on Israel and Hamas. EPA

Belgium's Foreign Minister on Tuesday said his country would recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly this month, becoming the sixth western country to join a French-led diplomatic push to pressure Israel into ending the Gaza war and advance the creation of a Palestinian state.

The decision comes "in light of the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, and in response to the violence perpetrated by Israel in violation of international law", Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on X.

Belgium joins a growing list of western countries aligning with the initiative, featuring France, Britain, Canada, Australia and Malta, with New Zealand also considering the move. They are expected to announce recognition of Palestine on September 22 during a high-level summit co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.

While more than 130 nations now acknowledge Palestine statehood, western countries have been among the most reluctant. Many, such as Germany, argue such a move could come only at the end of a political process.

Recognition, however, will be conditional on the release of all Israeli hostages from Gaza and the removal of Hamas from the enclave. Diplomatic relations with a new Palestinian state, including the opening of a Belgian embassy, would be carried out on the condition that goals laid out in a ministerial declaration signed by 17 countries in New York in July be fulfilled.

Nations signed up to the statement, a list that now includes Belgium, said they would work towards the demilitarisation of Hamas, new elections organised by the Palestinian Authority, and the establishment of an intervention force under the mandate of the UN in Gaza to distribute aid and protect populations.

New sanctions

Belgium is also preparing to issue 12 sanctions against Israel and Hamas leaders, Mr Prevot said. They include banning two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, from Belgian territory, following a similar move by Slovenia and the Netherlands.

"It is not a question of punishing the Israeli people, but of ensuring that its government respects international and humanitarian law, and taking action to try to change the situation on the ground," Mr Prevot said.

Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich have championed expansionist settlement projects, including the controversial E1 corridor in the West Bank, which would sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the occupied territory, effectively dooming prospects for a contiguous Palestinian state.

Israel is reportedly considering annexation of the occupied West Bank as a response to France and other countries recognising a Palestinian state.

Gaza city is braced for a new Israeli offensive. Reuters

Clash of visions

The New York declaration's objectives for a demilitarised Palestinian state encompassing Gaza is at odds with the US-backed plan for a "riviera of the Middle East". That plan involves turning the enclave into a US-administered trusteeship and relocating its entire population of two million people via financial incentives to other countries in the region.

The plan, which aligns with the vision of Israel's hard-right, has been rejected by Palestinians, Arab states and European nations. Speaking after a call on Monday with Jordan's King Abdullah II, French President Emmanuel Macron said on X: "Peace does not arise from ruins – it is built on justice and dignity.

"We reaffirmed our firm opposition to any plan for the reconstruction of Gaza that would involve the forced displacement of its population or the placing of the territory under trusteeship."

The two leaders also rejected Israeli plans to launch an offensive on Gaza city, warning it would lead to "endless conflict", Mr Macron said. "Two peoples, two states: this is the only path to a future of peace."

The US has said it would bar Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas from travelling to New York in September for the UNGA.

The UK is also still on track to recognise a Palestinian state. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the government would make its assessment “in the coming weeks”.

He told parliament that “unless we get the breakthrough that we need” with Israel, including a Gaza ceasefire, “we will move to recognition when UNGA meets in New York”.

But he told MPs it was still necessary for the government to “give diplomacy an opportunity” with Israel before then.

However, he warned that Israel’s plan for the “E1 settlement ... has moved the dial even farther away from where we were a few weeks ago” in terms of a diplomatic solution.

EU divisions

Despite strong criticism of the Gaza war and Israeli plans to bury a two-state solution, European leaders have been unable to muster enough political will among the EU's 27 nations to sanction Israel.

There is no qualified majority – 55 per cent of the EU's countries and 65 per cent of its population – to back a proposal put forward by the EU Commission to partially suspend Israel from a flagship EU research programme, Horizon. The reason for this failure is reportedly linked to Italian and German opposition.

It has prompted countries to make decisions at a national level, a move which has a weaker impact but signals displeasure with Israel. Belgium's Foreign Ministry said it supported the full suspension of Israel from Horizon, as well as the suspension of a preferential trade deal between Israel and the EU. The bloc is Israel's first export market.

A protest in Belgium demanding the government imposes sanctions on Israel. EPA

Warning of the "risk of genocide" in Gaza, the ministry announced it would lobby Belgian regions to respect an arms embargo on Israel – including dual-use goods when the end-user is the military – and would also advocate a Europewide ban.

In 2009, Belgium decided to not issue arms export licences that would strengthen Israeli military forces. Reports indicate that decision has not been respected by the Flemish region, which houses the country's biggest port in the city of Antwerp. In July, a Belgian court ordered the regional Flemish government to block the transit of military goods bound for Israel after four NGOs filed a complaint.

Additionally, the Belgian government will draft a decree for a national ban on the import of goods produced in the occupied Palestinian territories, in line with a decision issued by the International Court of Justice in July 2024. This comes after a similar measure announced by Slovenia and expected to be enforced by Ireland.

Belgium also vowed to prosecute Belgian residents guilty of a violation of international humanitarian law or terrorism. In July, two Israeli soldiers were briefly interrogated after they were seen waving an Israeli flag at a Belgian music festival. They were released and Belgian authorities referred their case to the International Criminal Court.