De Wever backs Macron’s peace plan for Gaza: 'This suffering must stop'
Prime minister Bart De Wever has expressed support for French president Emmanuel Macron’s peace initiative aimed at ending the war in Gaza through mutual recognition of Israel and Palestine.
In an episode of Het Rapport van de Wetstraat, a podcast by Het Laatste Nieuws, De Wever broke his silence on the conflict, saying: “No one can bear the images of children lying emaciated in a bed, deprived of humanitarian aid. The suffering must stop.”
Since taking office, De Wever has avoided taking a clear position on the war in Gaza, which has claimed more than 50,000 lives. Macron’s plan, which he discussed with De Wever in a “confidential conversation”, seeks to revive the two-state solution via a UN peace conference in June.
The proposal calls for mutual recognition between Israel and Palestine, recognition of Palestine by Western states and recognition of Israel’s right to exist by Arab countries.
“Macron’s initiative at least has the merit of trying to bring a sustainable solution to the table,” De Wever told the podcast, adding that he intends to bring the matter forward for discussion within the federal government.
The topic has been politically sensitive within the coalition, leading to months of silence. Tensions flared last month when De Wever, responding to an international arrest warrant, said he would not detain Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he landed in Belgium, prompting criticism from coalition partners.
Pressure had also been mounting internally. CD&V leader Sammy Mahdi recently demanded Belgian recognition of Palestine and support for Macron’s plan. Vooruit leader Conner Rousseau went further, calling the war in Gaza a “genocide.”
Even within De Wever’s own party, N-VA, voices began to shift. On Monday, Zuhal Demir posted on X: “Since October 7, 2023, two kindergarten classes a day have been murdered in Gaza. Stop the madness. Stop the killing.”
The same morning, the N-VA board agreed to adopt a more critical stance toward Israel.
De Wever also revisited past comments in which he declared, following Hamas’s 7 October attack, that “there is only one side to choose, and that is the side of Israel. The side of democracy. The side of light.”
In HLN, he acknowledged growing criticism of that statement and offered a more nuanced view. “This is a very old and complex conflict that cannot be viewed simplistically... Hamas are terrorists, that remains the side of darkness for me," he said. "But I also said at the time that an invasion of Gaza would be a big mistake and would result in thousands of civilian casualties.”
"Regardless of who is to blame, this is becoming an endless series of death and destruction"
“The situation today is hopeless,” he added. “I only see losing parties. Israel entered this war without an exit strategy. Tens of thousands of innocent victims have fallen. Regardless of who is to blame, this is becoming an endless series of death and destruction.”
While De Wever backs a negotiated peace, he noted that “there is no place” for Hamas in any future agreement. “Hamas must disappear completely from the scene,” he said. “At the same time, there must be a credible Palestinian Authority, an agreement on territorial boundaries, and security guarantees for Israel.”
De Wever is expected to outline the party’s new position at the annual Holocaust commemoration in Antwerp on Thursday.
French president Emmanuel Macron welcomes Bart De Wever prir to a working lunch at the Elysée Palace in Paris © PHOTO ELIOT BLONDET / ABACAPRESS.COM
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