It is time for Belgium to recognise Palestine. Now.
Minister of Development Cooperation and Urban Policy Caroline Gennez pleads within the Belgian government for the immediate recognition of the state of Palestine: "After our visit to Jordan and the West Bank last week, and the conversations I had with local civil society organizations, UN representatives and members of the Palestinian Authority, it is clear that it is time for action. Now. Today, I will be advocating for the recognition of the Palestinian state at our government meeting.
The new Palestinian Authority is working on a comprehensive reform plan, with important steps in terms of democratization and transparency. But it is currently being squeezed financially by the far-right Israeli government, which refuses to pay out Palestinian tax revenues. This puts a lot of pressure on the planned reforms and on public services – education and health care – in the Palestinian territories. At the same time, local NGOs and the UN are sounding the alarm about the accelerated expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and the increasing violence in the West Bank. The Palestinian territories are shrinking every the day.
In Gaza, the sole focus of the far-right Israeli government is on the destruction of Hamas. The population pays a terrible price. The Israeli government has so far failed to put credible proposals on the table that include a viable future scenario for the Palestinians.
That is why it is important that Belgium, together with like-minded European countries such as Norway, Spain, Ireland, Portugal and Slovenia, and the entire international community, sends a message that this cannot go on; that we have to focus our efforts on finding a sustainable solution; that a sovereign Palestinian state does have a future; and that we will continue to work on a negotiated two-state solution. Both Palestinians and Israelis have the right to live in security and peace.
The current situation, where there seems to be no end to the violence in Gaza, and the Israeli government is continuously undermining the viability of a free and democratic Palestinian state, will only lead to more violence and instability throughout the region. And in the long run, that will also have an impact on us. All possible legal ways to up the pressure on the far-right Israeli government must, therefore, be exhausted. In addition to the recognition of the Palestinian state, these include an evaluation of the European Association Agreement – and any trade sanctions based on that evaluation – and an international arms embargo against Israel."