Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
In what may be the first such incident since the events in Gaza nearly two years ago, following the attack carried out by Hamas members against Israeli targets and the subsequent killing, displacement, and destruction of Palestinian civilians at the hands of Israeli occupation forces, federal police arrested a man at the Israeli embassy in Brussels on Friday evening. He was found in possession of a Molotov cocktail. According to local media in Belgium, including the newspaper Nieuwsblad, Aurélie Anne De Vos, from the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office, stated: "At around 7:30 p.m., federal police noticed a person acting suspiciously near the Israeli embassy." She added: "The man's face was partially covered by a scarf." The police immediately arrested him and identified him.
During the search, a backpack containing a plastic bottle filled with gasoline, a lighter, and gloves was found in the suspect's possession. "The suspect has been deprived of his liberty," De Vos said. "The investigation is ongoing, and the Public Prosecutor's Office will not make any further statements out of concern for the integrity of the investigation."
This incident, thwarted by Belgian police, may be the first attempt to target the Israeli embassy in the Belgian capital since the beginning of the war in Gaza, which has killed 60,000 Palestinian women, children, and the elderly, injured more than 100,000, and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians. Meanwhile, Egyptian embassies in several European countries, as well as in the United States, have been subjected to attempts to close their external gates and paint their walls.
On the popular level, Brussels, like many European and international capitals, has witnessed mass demonstrations demanding an end to the war and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian victims. Officially, the Belgian government has stated its intention to recognize the Palestinian state during the session. The UN General Assembly will meet in New York this month and will follow suit with other countries, including France, Canada, and others. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévost announced that his country will recognize the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly session scheduled to open on September 9. This move adds further international pressure on Israel after Australia, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom took similar steps. Prévost wrote in a post on the X platform: "Belgium will recognize Palestine during the UN session!" Severe sanctions will be imposed on the Israeli government. According to the Brussels-based Euronews website, the Belgian diplomat revealed that his government will impose 12 sanctions on Israel at the national level in the wake of what he described as the "humanitarian tragedy in Palestine" and in response to the violence perpetrated by Israel in violation of international law.
Prevost said: "Belgium had to take strong decisions to increase pressure on the Israeli government."
The minister added: "It is not about imposing sanctions on the Israeli people, but rather ensuring that their government respects international and humanitarian law and takes action to try to change the situation on the ground."
The sanctions will include a ban on importing products from settlements, a review of public procurement policies with Israeli companies, and restrictions on consular assistance to Belgian citizens residing in illegal settlements.
They will also include potential prosecutions, a ban on flights and transit, and the designation of two extremist Israeli ministers, Hamas leaders, and several violent settlers as "persona non grata" in Belgium.
Although Prevost did not name the two Israeli ministers, he indicated that This is likely due to far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have faced similar measures taken against them by other EU countries, such as the Netherlands.
Prévost also announced that Belgium would move to support EU-level measures to suspend cooperation with Israel, including suspending the bloc's association agreement with the Jewish state, as well as research and technical cooperation programs.
The same source quoted the minister as saying, "Belgium will recognize Palestine when the joint initiative between France and Saudi Arabia is officially announced! It is a strong political and diplomatic gesture to preserve the chances of a two-state solution."
He added that Brussels would participate in this initiative "to express its condemnation of Israel's expansionist ambitions, its settlement programs, and its military occupations."