Flemish Parliament to convene emergency session on Gaza

The Flemish parliament will hold an emergency session on the situation in Gaza, the Groen party announced on Friday. The Belgian federal parliament will hold a similar session on 14 August.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the Foreign Affairs committee of the Chamber of Representatives – one of the two chambers of the federal parliament – would meet on 14 August to discuss the ongoing violence in Gaza.

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A similar session will now also be held in the Foreign Affairs committee of the Flemish parliament. "I hope that the minister-president and the Flemish government recognise the urgency of this matter and will therefore prioritise it," said Groen MP Bogdan Vanden Berghe, who chairs the committee.

'Every day counts'

Although both parliaments are in summer recess until the end of August, they have decided to convene earlier due to the urgency of the situation. No date has yet been set for the session in Flanders. "The sooner the committee meets, the sooner we can take action. Every day counts," said Vanden Berghe.

Nadia Naji, a member of the Committee for Groen, points out that Flanders can take various measures. The region could impose a complete arms embargo and take a clear position on both the EU's Horizon Europe research project and its association agreement with Israel. 

A quick decision could also be made on whether the government should appeal against a recent court ruling that ordered it to prevent the transit of all military equipment to Israel via its territory, including the Port of Antwerp.

Decisive action

Earlier this week, two of the five parties that make up Belgium's federal government also called for the council of ministers to be convened over the matter. Whether that will happen, too, remains unclear.

"The committee will limit itself to a hearing and therefore does not have sufficient power," said Nawal Farih, parliamentary group leader of the CD&V party, on Wednesday. "It is important to us that the government considers this issue and takes decisive action."

^{Palestinians mourn the loss of their loved ones killed in Nasser Hospital after Israel opened fire on Palestinians attempting to reach distribution points for US aid west of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip, 1 August 2025 © MOAZ ABU TAHA / APA IMAGES VIA ZUMA PRESS WIRE}