Belgium Plans Recognizing Palestinian Statehood

(MENAFN) Belgium is set to officially recognize Palestine as a sovereign state during the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this month, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot revealed on Monday.

In a message posted on the social media platform X, Prevot announced that Belgium will align with other nations in acknowledging Palestinian statehood, while simultaneously implementing a series of sanctions targeting Israel.

“Firm sanctions are being imposed on the Israeli government. Any antisemitism or glorification of terrorism by Hamas supporters will also be more strongly condemned,” he emphasized.

Prevot clarified that these measures are intended to uphold international law and are not meant to penalize ordinary Israeli citizens.

Belgium’s announcement follows similar declarations from several countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, all planning to recognize Palestine during the upcoming General Assembly session.

Currently, 147 countries already acknowledge Palestinian statehood.

The assembly is scheduled to commence on September 9.

Meanwhile, Israel continues its occupation of Palestinian lands and refuses to withdraw in a manner that would permit the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the pre-1967 boundaries.

On Friday, the United States State Department declared it was revoking visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in anticipation of the UN gathering.

This action takes place amid mounting international condemnation of Israel’s severe military campaign in the Gaza Strip, where over 63,500 Palestinians have lost their lives due to airstrikes and ground assaults since Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.

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