Belgium says conditions not yet met to formally recognise Palestine

Belgium is not yet ready to give full formal recognition to Palestine, foreign minister Maxime Prevot said on Wednesday, because all the agreed conditions have not been met. He confirmed that the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas has taken place, but said the militant group has not yet been removed from any role in governing Palestinian territories.

Last year, after weeks of debate, Belgium’s federal government agreed in principle to recognise Palestine following the war in Gaza. The move was meant as a political signal, with legal recognition to come later once two conditions were fulfilled: the freeing of all hostages and the removal of Hamas from power. Although the first condition has now been met, Prevot said the second clearly has not.

He added that new bodies set up under US president Donald Trump’s peace initiative, including a proposed council to oversee Gaza, had not yet succeeded in pushing Hamas out of governance. While he welcomed steps taken so far, Prevot stressed it was too early to say the plan had delivered firm results. Belgium also has serious doubts about the legitimacy of the proposed council, which many European countries do not recognise.

Prime minister Bart De Wever echoed that caution in parliament, saying it would be wise to wait and see how the situation develops on the ground. If progress continues, he said, it would be logical for the government to move forward with its agreement on recognition in stages.

Belgium backs recognition of Palestinian state but warns against rewarding Hamas

Belgium has joined the growing number of nations recognising a Palestinian state, prime minister Bart De Wever announced at the United Nations in...

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In September 2025, Belgium joined a growing group of countries announcing political recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations, while again stressing that full legal recognition would only follow once all hostages were freed, Hamas was removed from power and elections were held. De Wever said recognition must not be seen as “a reward for Hamas”, and pointed to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and renewed settlement expansion as major obstacles to peace.

^{Maxime Prevot and Bart De Wever © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND}