EU credibility collapsing for not acting over Gaza war: Belgium

BURSSELS: Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told AFP Friday that the EU’s credibility on foreign policy was “collapsing” due to the bloc’s failure to act over Israel’s war in Gaza.

“It is undeniable, we are not going to bury our heads in the sand, that the European Union at this stage is not living up to its responsibilities in this enormous humanitarian crisis,” Prevot said in an interview at his office in Brussels.

TWO-STATE SOLUTION

On Tuesday, Prevot announced that Belgium will recognise the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, triggering a strong reaction from Israel which described Belgium as weak.

Read more: US warns other countries against recognising Palestinian state

“Palestine will be recognised by Belgium at the UN session! And firm sanctions will be imposed against the Israeli government,” Prevot, who is also the deputy prime minister, wrote on X.

“Belgium will join the countries that signed the New York Declaration, paving the way for a two-state solution and thus recognising both states,” Prevot added.

He also mentioned that Belgium had to take strong decisions to increase pressure on Israel “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”.

Read more: No annexation attempt will derail Two-State Solution push: Macron

Prevot, however, said the recognition of Palestinian state would only be formalised once the last captive has been released from Gaza and “Hamas no longer has any role in managing Palestine”.

“From an intellectual point of view, the recognition of a state should be with no conditions. But we also have to manage the different sensitivities within the Belgian coalition. We are five parties, and we are not necessarily aligned,” he explained.

Prevot was talking about the tensions inside Belgium’s delicate five-party coalition government, with three of the parties growing impatient with the executive’s silence on Israel’s ongoing war and the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip.

However, they managed to reach an understanding on the issue.