Federal government divided as Gaza debate intensifies
The federal government aims to finalise a resolution on Israel and Palestine by the end of May, but divisions within the coalition are deepening. While Vooruit and CD&V have publicly backed the recognition of Palestine, coalition partner MR remains opposed.
On Monday, socialist party Vooruit launched a petition urging the government to recognise Palestine as a state. Over the weekend, party leader Conner Rousseau had already described Israel’s military actions in Gaza as “genocide”. The petition, titled Stop the Horror in Gaza, reads: “Tens of thousands of innocent victims. A million children displaced. Who can still deny this is genocide?”
The petition also demands economic sanctions against what it calls the “far-right Israeli regime” and calls on the government to push for unrestricted humanitarian aid to Gaza. By Monday evening, it had already gathered nearly 1,600 signatures, with a target of 5,000.
Growing divide
Vooruit’s campaign follows Christian democrat CD&V’s public appeal last week. Talking to the media, party leader Sammy Mahdi urged the government to take a clear stance on the recognition of Palestine. During a television appearance, he warned that the current generation of politicians could come to regret their inaction in decades to come.
Les Engagés, the party of Foreign minister Maxime Prévot, is also aligned with CD&V and Vooruit, and supports the French-led initiative by president Emmanuel Macron to recognise Palestine at a UN conference in June.
However, other coalition partners are more cautious. Liberal party MR has drawn a firm line, insisting that Palestine cannot be recognised while Hamas controls Gaza. Leader Georges-Louis Bouchez had previously questioned the use of the term “genocide”, arguing that population growth in Gaza contradicts the label.
N-VA, the party of prime minister Bart De Wever, has also taken a reserved approach. De Wever has refrained from making a clear statement and recently suggested that Belgium would not arrest Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to visit, contradicting the stance of the International Criminal Court.
Despite the tensions, several MPs say progress has been made in recent days, and a resolution is still expected ahead of the UN conference in June. The final wording remains uncertain. A reference to genocide is unlikely, but there is ongoing discussion around reviewing the EU-Israel trade agreement in light of human rights concerns.
Prime minister Bart De Wever © BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS
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