Belgium will formally recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly later this month and impose new sanctions on Israel, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced. Measures include banning settlement goods and reviewing Israeli firms’ access to public contracts, citing the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The move aligns Belgium with France, which pledged recognition in July. So far, about three-quarters of UN member states have recognised Palestinian statehood.
The decision comes as Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 63,000 people and injured over 160,000, according to local health authorities. In July, Belgian prosecutors also referred alleged Israeli war crimes to the International Criminal Court
