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 Belgium |  Palestine |
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During theOttoman occupation of Palestine,Belgium maintained honorary consulates inJaffa,Jerusalem andHaifa.
ChairmanYasser Arafat made several visits to Belgium, the last of which was in November 2001.[1] In November 2013, Belgium decided to raise the level ofPalestinian representation.[2] In February 2015, PresidentMahmoud Abbas visitedBrussels and met withKing Philippe.[3]
In 2018, Belgium suspended education aid projects with the Palestinian Authority after discovering that a school it funded inHebron had been renamed after a militant who took part in the 1978Coastal road massacre, where 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, were killed. TheBelgian Foreign Ministry had financed the construction of the school in 2012 and 2013, only to later learn that it was renamed without their knowledge. Belgium also temporarily suspended two other school-building projects.[4]
On 25 April 2023, the Belgian city ofLiège took a decision described as "historic" to freeze relations with Israel.[5][6] Liège has been associated with the Palestinian city ofRamallah in a twinning relationship since 2014.
On 27 October 2023, Belgium was one of 121 countries to vote in favor of aGeneral Assembly resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire to theGaza war.[7] On 8 November, a month after the conflict began, deputy prime ministerPetra De Sutter called for imposing sanctions on Israel.[8][9]
In November 2023, following a meeting with thePresident of EgyptAbdel Fattah El Sisi,Prime Minister of SpainPedro Sánchez, along withBelgian Prime MinisterAlexander De Croo, held a joint press conference at theRafah border crossing with theGaza Strip.[10] During the conference, both leaders said in a joint statement that the indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians is completely unacceptable.[11] They also said that the time had come for theinternational community and theEuropean Union (EU) to once and for allrecognize a Palestinian State and called for a permanent ceasefire in theGaza war.[10]
On 1 September 2025, Belgian foreign ministerMaxime Prévot announced that Belgium will recognize Palestinian statehood at the2025 United Nations General Assembly.[12] Prévot stated that the recognition will take effect once all hostages have been released and Hamas has been removed from governance in Palestine.[13]
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