Belgium is preparing to recognize a Palestinian state, the country’s foreign minister announced Tuesday, joining a growing number of nations considering the move amid Israel’s intensified military campaign in Gaza.
Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said Belgium’s recognition plans will be revealed at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 9. However, the step is conditional: all Israeli hostages held in Gaza must be released, and Hamas must be removed from political authority in the enclave. These conditions make immediate recognition unlikely.
If implemented, Belgium would join over 140 countries, including more than a dozen in Europe, that already recognize Palestinian statehood.
Prévot also outlined measures targeting Israel, including a ban on goods from West Bank settlements and declaring Hamas leaders, violent settlers, and two far-right Israeli ministers as persona non grata.
“This is not about punishing the Israeli people but ensuring their government abides by international and humanitarian law and taking steps to change the situation on the ground,” Prévot said on social platform X.
He urged the European Union to increase pressure on Israel, including suspending its trade agreement under the Association Agreement.
Israel’s war in Gaza has strained relations among the EU’s 27 member states, sparked protests across Europe, and tested political coalitions in Belgium and the Netherlands. Yet Israel maintains strong ties with European military, business, and academic institutions.
Belgium’s announcement drew sharp criticism from Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a potential target of the sanctions along with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. “The self-righteous European countries being manipulated by Hamas will eventually face terrorism themselves,” Ben Gvir told The Associated Press.
France and the United Kingdom have also announced plans to recognize Palestine, increasing diplomatic pressure on Israel.
Countries like Australia, Canada, and European nations linking recognition to reforms by the Palestinian Authority face challenges, as the PA is widely viewed as corrupt and unpopular among Palestinians. Israel opposes granting it a larger role in postwar Gaza.
The Palestinians aim to establish an independent state in the occupied West Bank, annexed east Jerusalem, and Gaza—territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel’s government and most political factions have historically opposed Palestinian statehood and argue that recognition now would reward militants following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.