Belgium stands by Palestine decision

Belgium's Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot says his country has "concerns" about a potential hostile reaction from Israel and the United States over its decision to recognize the state of Palestine, but that it has no alternative given the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

In a social media post, Prevot said Belgium would recognize Palestine at the upcoming United Nations session, which opens on Tuesday, and in addition 12 sanctions would be imposed on Israel, including the banning of imports from the occupied West Bank and "a review of public procurement policies with Israeli companies".

He added that recognition would only be formalized after the release of the last Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 attacks of 2023, which triggered the latest outbreak of conflict, and also once the Hamas movement "no longer has any role in managing Palestine".

In response, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused his Belgian counterpart Bart de Wever of appeasing Hamas, but Prevot called the decision "courageous".

"We have concerns (about the reaction and possible consequences), but frankly speaking it's quite difficult to refuse to act according to our legal obligation when we face the current situation in Gaza," Prevot told Euronews.

Belgium could also find itself facing the wrath of Washington over the issue, as the US government has already taken steps against other countries that have acted against Israel over the situation in Gaza, which Reuters reported in July had so far resulted in the deaths of more than 60,000 Palestinians.

The sovereign wealth fund of the Norwegian government recently announced it was divesting from building supplies company Caterpillar because of its involvement in Israeli settlements, with the fund saying that Caterpillar products are used "to commit extensive and systematic violations of international humanitarian law".

The US State Department said it was "very troubled" by the move and that it "appears to be based on illegitimate claims against Caterpillar and the Israeli government".

"I hope that the US will not take any kind of sanction against the countries which decided to act like this in order to respect international law, humanitarian law, and trying to push pressure on Israel," added Prevot, when asked about possible consequences.

According to broadcaster Al Jazeera, as of April 2025, 147 countries, making up 75 percent of UN members, had recognized Palestinian statehood, and correspondent Hashem Ahelbarra said that each European country that took the step added to the momentum behind the idea.

Recognition "means that each European country that says 'I therefore recognize Palestine' will recognize the sovereignty of the Palestinian independent state with borders that existed pre-1967, including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, and the full establishment of diplomatic relations with the Palestinian state", he explained.