Belgium will impose sanctions on Israeli settlers who are guilty of violence in the occupied West Bank.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said this on Thursday during her visit to a Palestinian village threatened by settlements.
Lahbib called the settlements “illegal under international law” and expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people, who are suffering greatly from the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip. She said the humanitarian situation in Gaza is “catastrophic” and that Belgium is supporting the victims.
She also met with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah, the administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority. She discussed with them the political and economic situation in the Palestinian territories and the possibilities for a peaceful solution to the conflict.
US-backed Israel has been carrying out a deadly offensive on Gaza since October. Some 32,600 Palestinians have been killed and 76,000 others injured, mainly children and women. Nearly nine in ten residents are displaced and suffer from a lack of food, water and medicine.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in a preliminary ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and to stop obstructing international humanitarian aid to suffering civilians in Gaza.
Belgium is one of the European countries that are critical of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians. Belgium supports the two-state solution and recognizes the state of Palestine. Belgium has also financed several projects to help the Palestinian population in the areas of education, health and agriculture.
