Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, Petra De Sutter, told the Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad on 8 November that the EU nation needs to take measures to sanction Israel.
“We cannot look away while children are killed every day in Gaza,” De Sutter said. “It is time for sanctions against Israel. The rain of bombs is inhumane. It is clear that Israel does not care about the international demands for a ceasefire.”
The Belgian official wants, firstly, the EU association agreement with Israel to be immediately suspended. She added that there should be a ban on products from the occupied Palestinian territories and a ban on “violent settlers and for the politicians and soldiers responsible for war crimes.”
“There needs to be an investigation into the bombing of hospitals and refugee camps. This is war violence that can never be passed,” De Sutter said, adding that extra funding should be allocated to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague.
The deputy prime minister, however, said that money that ends up in Hamas’ hands should be drained. “This is a terrorist organization,” De Sutter claimed. “Terror costs money, and there must be sanctions on the companies and people who provide Hamas with money. We must also keep repeating that they must release the hostages.”
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also condemned the Israeli bombings of refugee camps.
He spoke to the press on 8 November, saying, “Bombing an entire refugee camp with the intention of taking out one terrorist, I don’t think you can say that is proportional […] It is a bridge too far."
Belgian Environment Minister Zakia Khattabi faced blowback for comments made on Monday wherein she refused to dub Hamas a “terrorist" organization.
“Hamas is constantly carrying out attacks. But I don’t use the term ‘terrorist’ because it has a legal meaning that I don’t know,” Khattabi said.
Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza has claimed the lives of over 10,500 Palestinian civilians, nearly half of whom are children.