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Rabat — Israel’s international isolation continues to grow as more and more European countries consider recognition of Palestine’s statehood amid the ongoing Gaza genocide.
Belgium decided it will recognize the state of Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly later this month in Washington.
The European country joins a growing chorus of countries recognizing the statehood of Palestine amid Israeli-induced starvation and genocidal war on Gaza.
Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said in a social media post that “Palestine will be recognized by Belgium at the UN session! And firm sanctions will be imposed against the Israeli government.”
The decision, he added, 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.”
The member of the centrist Les Engages party, the Engaged, also said that his country will impose 12 sanctions, including a ban on the import of products from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and “a review of public procurement policies with Israeli companies.”
However, the decision is conditional on Hamas no longer having “any role in managing Palestine” and releasing all Israeli captives from Gaza.
The minister further noted that the decision “is not about sanctioning the Israeli people but about ensuring that their government respects international and humanitarian law and taking action to try to change the situation on the ground.”
While Hamas still hasn’t responded to Belgium’s pledge, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed the announcement and appealed to other countries to follow suit in order to “intensify practical efforts to stop the crimes of genocide, displacement, starvation, and annexation.”
The ministry believes that putting more pressure on Israel will “open a real political path to resolve the conflict.”
Israel has yet to comment on Belgium’s decision, but Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of Israel’s opposition party Yisrael Beiteinu, attributed the decision to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “political failure.”
Lieberman posted on X: “Due to Netanyahu’s inability to manage the political arena, a Palestinian state is being established before our eyes,” implicitly criticizing Netanyahu while condemning the progress towards a Palestinian state.
International pressure on Israel has been mounting after similar recognition of a Palestinian state by Australia, Britain, Canada, and France.
Trump’s Gaza Riviera plan revived
In a time when the starvation death toll in Gaza is soaring and condemnation of Israel’s approach in the enclave is growing, the Middle Eastern occupation’s closest ally US President Donald Trump has revived talks about the Middle East Riviera.
On August 31, the Washington Post published a leaked outline for a plan circulating in the White House to develop the “Gaza Riviera.” The plan, which Trump claims aims to design Gaza as a string of high-tech megacities, has been strongly dismissed as an attempt to provide cover for the large-scale ethnic cleansing of Gazans. It also puts Gazan livelihoods in an exchange plan that unethically determines their future through foreign business deals.
Specifically, the plan involves the purported “voluntary” relocation of Gaza’s population of 2 million people to another country or temporary housing relocations within the enclave during the alleged reconstruction process — all in exchange for digital tokens, six to eight “AI-powered smart cities,” and a manufacturing hub named after Elon Musk.
The leaked plan was reportedly developed by those behind the controversial US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The GHF, whose stated goal is to provide food inside the enclave, has received heavy criticism from UN experts for allegedly being “exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas in serious breach of international law.”
