Belgium to Recognize Palestinian State at Upcoming UN General Assembly

Latest Developments

Belgium Joins Nations Recognizing Palestinian State: Belgium will recognize a Palestinian state at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 9, joining a French-led international push for Palestinian statehood that has gathered steam in recent weeks. “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, given its international obligations, including the duty to prevent any risk of genocide, Belgium had to take strong decisions to increase pressure on the Israeli government,” Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on September 1. He noted, however, that formalization of the motion would only “take place once the last hostage has been released and Hamas no longer has any role in managing Palestine.”
Brussels to Propose Sanctions Against Israel: In addition to recognizing a Palestinian state, Prevot stated that steps would be taken to levy sanctions against Israel, including banning imported products from Israeli communities in the West Bank, reviewing public procurement policies with Israeli firms, limiting consular assistance to Belgian citizens living in Israeli communities in the West Bank, potential judicial prosecutions, banning military overflights and transit from Israel, and designating Israeli lawmakers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich as “persona non grata” in Belgium. Prevot also announced that Belgium would support the suspension of the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel in the areas of research programs and technical cooperation.
Western Efforts to Recognize Palestinian State: Belgium is the latest Western nation to declare that it would recognize Palestinian statehood, following similar statements from France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Malta, and Australia, among others. Like Belgium’s, most of the pledges are conditional on PA reform and the removal of Hamas from power in Gaza. Israel, for its part, has asserted that neither the PA nor Hamas will play any role in post-war Gaza, asserting that recognition of a Palestinian state would amount to rewarding Hamas for its brutal October 7, 2023, atrocities.

FDD Expert Response

“The options for recognizing a Palestinian state range from bad to worse. The UK announcement that it would recognize a Palestinian state unless a ceasefire was reached encouraged Hamas to continue the war. Though other recognition announcements placed conditions on Hamas, the Palestinian street will still glorify the Iran-backed terrorist group for launching the war that resulted in global recognition of Palestinian statehood. And this fallback option is still shifting the goalposts toward a fundamentally flawed policy. Statehood recognition would bolster the Palestinian Authority’s already intransigent stance on negotiations with Israel and cement the gap between Palestinian expectations and reality on the ground, making a peace deal less likely.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

“The Belgian government is bowing to its influential domestic Muslim lobby and will now, along with France, Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and Malta, try to persuade other EU member states to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. The sanctions it threatens should be seen similarly, as a concerted attempt to undermine and eventually eliminate the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director