Belgian parliament holds emergency session on Gaza, discusses recognition of Palestine

The Belgian parliament convened an emergency session on Thursday to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the country's potential recognition of a Palestinian state.

The debate follows a formal proposal from Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot to advance a plan for recognition and sanctions ahead of the UN General Assembly in September.

Prévot, of the centrist Les Engagés party, has been a leading voice calling for Belgium to take a firmer stance. During the parliamentary session, he argued that a failure to officially recognize Palestine in September would cause Belgium to "lose all credibility" in speaking about a two-state solution. "If Belgium does not make progress towards official recognition in September, there will soon be nothing left to recognise," he said, according to reports from The National.

In a separate move, Belgium has already decided to back a European Commission proposal for a partial suspension of 'Israel's' participation in the Horizon Europe research program, which could cost Israel nearly €400 million in grants. Prévot stated this would be the "first concrete" European sanction on 'Israel's' government.

He has also sent a draft of a Royal Decree that would tighten Belgium’s existing ban on arms sales by prohibiting weapons from being shipped to Israel or Palestine via Belgian airspace.

The emergency session comes as the EU and international community face increasing pressure to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

While some European countries, including France and the UK, are also exploring recognizing Palestine, the lack of a unified position among all 27 EU member states continues to complicate a collective response.