Federal Parliament Brussels (photo: K. Rijken)
A Palestinian employee of the Belgian agency Enabel has been killed in an Israeli bombardment of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. His son also did not survive. The Belgian Minister for Development Cooperation, to which the agency falls, is angry and upset. A minute’s silence was held in the federal parliament for the Palestinian and his child. The Belgian government is furious and condemns Israel.
Enabel did development work in the Gaza Strip before the war between Israel and Hamas. In the night from Thursday to Friday, a house in Rafah was hit by an Israeli warplane, killing at least seven people. One of them is Abdallah Nabhan, Enabel’s business development officer, and his seven-year-old son. Three other relatives of the man also died.
Pointing finger
The news hit Belgium like a bombshell. Although it did not concern a Belgian, the media reported it extensively on Thursday and a large part of Belgian politics was also sad. In particular, Minister Caroline Gennez (Vooruit) for Development Cooperation. “We are trying to stop the violence, but we are also trying to keep the employees who work for our country safe.”
Nabhan had been on an evacuation list for months, but unfortunately it was not possible to get the family to safety in time, Gennez said. The Palestinian started at Enabel in 2020 in a European project that guides small businesses in the Gaza Strip to produce sustainably. It is part of a project by the Belgian Ministry for Development Cooperation that aims to help young people find a job.
Once again Gennez points the finger at the Israeli government, which she is angry with. According to her, it bears a ‘crushing’ responsibility. “The bombing of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians goes against all international, humanitarian and war laws,” said the Social Democrat, who has been at odds with Israel more often since last summer and has also caused a diplomatic row.
Prime Minister angry
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) is also angry. “This is absolutely dramatic news and the Israeli government is twice to blame,” the politician said in the federal Chamber. “Bombing aid workers is something that should absolutely be avoided. Secondly, four months ago our government requested that all Belgian aid workers and other rights holders be allowed to leave Gaza, but for four months in a row they have refused to grant permission to do so.”
Enabel director Jean Van Wetter says: “I am deeply affected by the death of our colleague and his son, and I am outraged and shocked by the continued attacks.” As director of a Belgian agency and as a former humanitarian worker, Van Wetter cannot accept that it continues ‘unpunished’. “It is tragic that innocent civilians are victims of this conflict. We must do everything we can to stop the violence.”
Israel has not yet responded to the Belgian reaction.
Relationship under pressure
The relationship between Belgium and Israel has never been better. Politicians and ministers of the Belgian government launched the attack on Israel well before October 7, 2023. The reason was the destruction of an illegally built Belgian development project in the Palestinian territories. Social Democratic minister Carolines Gennez (Vooruit) went on the attack, causing a diplomatic row. Since then, Israel and Belgium have been wandering from incident to incident. Within the broad Vivaldi government, the left-wing parties are Israel-critical while the right-wing parties want to take it easy. Belgium is currently president of the EU.
