2024-03-28 09:45:30
The head of Belgian diplomacy began the second day of her working visit to Israel and the West Bank on Thursday with a visit to this village. After meeting the Israeli side on Wednesday, Thursday is dedicated to the Palestinians.
An Israeli settlement has been set up on the hill opposite the village and plays loud music. Nearby Palestinian villagers were forced to leave their homes by force, one of them testified.
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“Belgium condemns the colonies”
“Belgium condemns the colonies and has decided to impose sanctions against violent settlers,” recalled the head of Belgian diplomacy. “These settlements are illegal under international law.” Hadja Lahbib spoke of some 180 Israeli “outposts” located in zone B, i.e. in the Palestinian zone according to the 1993 Oslo Accords. Since the attacks by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on October 7, 2023, 23 new outposts have been built. There are 4 to 5 attacks per day against Palestinians, she added.
BELGIAN
Faced with this situation, Belgium is not remaining idle. It finances the West Bank Protection Consortium, which helps the Palestinians.
Last week, EU foreign ministers reached an agreement on the adoption of sanctions against violent Israeli settlers, led by Belgium. The country holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. In addition to a ban on entry into European territory, these sanctions mainly concern a freezing of their assets.
Debate in Belgium on the question of import
The question of importing products from the colonies continues to be debated in Belgium. According to Belgian diplomacy, the country is “above average” in the policy of differentiation of these products. Belgium continues to respect three axes: reinforced control of imports, the insertion of a territorial clause in all treaties negotiated with Israel and information for Belgian companies.
For an outright ban, Belgium continues to plead for an agreement within the European framework and in compliance with the rules of the WTO (World Trade Organization). “For Belgium to do it alone is equivalent to only attacking the arrival of these products. The arrival will turn towards other ports,” Hadja Lahbib indicated in the House committee just before his departure for the Middle East. According to diplomatic sources, the volumes from the colonies arriving in Belgium are low. The government agreement, however, provides for the possibility of taking “new steps” in this differentiation policy.
The day continues with bilateral talks with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, then outgoing Prime Minister Mohammad Chtayyeh. A meeting with the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas is planned for the early evening.
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