[Salon] Belgium to recognise Palestinian statehood, impose sanctions on Israel

FM: John Whitbeck

Transmitted below is a link to some good news from Belgium.

Belgium's complicated coalition government was reported to be at risk of collapse over recognition of the State of Palestine, as was the case recently with the similarly complicated coalition government in the Netherlands, where Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp and the other ministers from his party resigned after the extreme-right-wing majority prevailed on this issue.

This may explain the confusing compromise as to the timing of Belgium's recognition, with the Belgian foreign minister saying that Belgium will recognize the State of Palestine "at the UN session this month" but will "formalize" its recognition only when the last captive has been released from Gaza and "Hamas no longer has any role in managing Palestine."

Showing courage and shaming the less principled government of the country surrounding it, San Marino has also announced its intention of recognizing the State of Palestine at this month's UN session (https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/160814).

This brings to seven (Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Malta, San Marino and the United Kingdom) the number of Western countries which have so far announced their intentions to recognize the State of Palestine this month, some of them subject to conditions which Israel shows every sign of meeting. Others still have three weeks to join the moral majority.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/2/belgium-to-recognise-palestine-at-un-general-assembly-foreign-minister

NOTE: There is one error in the map included in the ALJAZEERA report. While the mostly occupied Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) is not among the 147 UN member states and one UN observer state (Holy See/Vatican City) which have already recognized the State of Palestine, it did extend recognition on November 15, 1988, the day that the State of Palestine was formally declared.