Belgium recognizes the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.
This was stated by the countryʼs Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, Reuters reports.
Belgium will sign the New York Declaration, which envisions two states—Israel and Palestine — living side by side in peace.
According to Prevost, this decision was made "in view of the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Palestine, especially in Gaza, and in response to Israeli violence that violates international law".
Belgium is set to recognize a Palestinian state as part of a joint diplomatic initiative led by France and Saudi Arabia, a move described as a political signal aimed at condemning the expansion of Israeli settlements and military presence in the Palestinian territories.
Belgium also plans to impose 12 "tough" sanctions against Israel, including a ban on imports of goods from its settlements. The country will also review its public procurement policy in cooperation with Israeli companies, and there is talk of declaring Hamas leaders persona non grata in the country.
The Belgian Foreign Minister stressed Belgiumʼs commitment to helping rebuild Palestine and added that the country would advocate for "European measures against Hamas and for new Belgian initiatives to combat anti-Semitism".
Status of Palestine
In 1947, the UN General Assembly voted to establish two independent states—Israel and Palestine — in the historic region of Palestine. However, this plan was never implemented.
In 1988, Palestine, which was partially under Israeli control, declared independence. It has now been recognized by more than 140 of the 193 UN member states, including Ukraine.
Among the European states, Bulgaria, Hungary, Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Sweden also recognize Palestineʼs independence. None of the G7 countries has recognized Palestineʼs independence.
Palestine has observer status in the UN, and full membership is only possible by decision of the UN Security Council, but it is blocked by the US.
On May 10, 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution expanding Palestineʼs rights in the organization and calling on the Security Council to favorably review the countryʼs application to become the 194th member of the UN.
In 2024, Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognized Palestine as a state, hoping that this would contribute to a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. In July, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would recognize the Palestinian state in September at the UN General Assembly.
A little later, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reported that his country would also recognize Palestine in September. And the Swiss parliament rejected a proposal to recognize Palestine as an independent state.
France and 14 other countries signed a declaration on July 30 that recognizes the State of Palestine. Its signatories “have already recognized, expressed, or are expressing the readiness or positive opinion of our countries regarding the recognition of the State of Palestine”.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Damon criticized the statements of support for Palestine, calling them meaningless and playing into the hands of terrorists.
At the same time, Germany will not recognize the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, along with its allies.
- The United States declared on August 29 that it would ban Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas from traveling to New York in September for a UN summit, where a number of countries plan to officially recognize Palestine as a state.
- The US has consistently supported Israel, and therefore does not support the decision to recognize Palestine. For example, the US President Donald Trump criticized Canadaʼs decision to support Palestinian statehood, and Senator Marco Rubio called Franceʼs move irresponsible.
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