Per a new procedure, the Core Cabinet, led by conservative Bart De Wever, must sign off on any remarks about the Jewish state.

The new Belgian Foreign Minister’s statements have been at odds with the feeling of a change in the Belgian government stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

By Canaan Lidor, JNS, and European Jewish Press

Under Belgium’s new center-right government, the Foreign Minister must receive the Cabinet’s approval for any statement about Israel.

Under the unusual procedure put in place by the government of Prime Minister Bart de Wever, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot must bring any statement about the Jewish state for approval by the Core Cabinet, a panel composed of De Wever and his five Deputy Prime Mnisters, Flemish daily De Standaard reported. Prévot is among the five deputies.

A source close to the government who spoke to JNS on condition of anonymity said that this measure was to make sure Belgium “remains fair” when speaking about Israel.

Belgium’s previous government, where the Socialist Party was the largest partner, was among the most anti-Israel in the European Union. Under it, Belgium announced that it would intervene in favor of the genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

De Wever’s conservative New Flemish Alliance won the highest number of votes in the 2024 election and assembled a center-right coalition. The coalition partners, who include the Flemish Socialist Vooruit and Christian Democrat  CD&V agreed to put aside their differences regarding the Jewish state, the source said.

“The procedure on statements about Israel is meant to make sure we keep this equilibrium and we don’t get into fights on Israel, which would neither advance the interests of Belgian voters nor impact what happens in the Middle East,” the source said.

Since De Wever government was sworn in last February, Prévot, who belongs to the centrist party Les Engagés, has made statements that were ad odds with the general feeling that the government was taking a more ‘neutral’ path on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking to reporters last month, the new Foreign Minister slammed U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to resettle the Palestinians from Gaza, calling it “outrageous, grotesque and shocking”. ‘’Forced displacement of populations in Gaza and the West Bank is a grave breach of international humanitarian law,’’ he said. ‘’Stability in the Middle East requires full respect for international law and the implementation of a two-state solution,’’ he added.

He also expressed deep regret on the issuance of the US executive order seeking to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court. ‘’The ICC is a central pillar of the world order and plays a determining role in the fight against impunity. Belgium has supported the ICC since its establishment and attaches great importance to respecting its independence and impartiality. Belgium remains committed to protecting the ICC and limiting the impact of these sanctions.’’

Belgium has become over the years a hotbed for pro-Palestinian groups who during demonstrations in Brussels have openly express support for terrorist Hamas and Hezbollah.

With the new Prime Minister, the change is significant. Bart De Wever, who was until last year mayor of Antwerp, a city with a large Orthodox Jewish community, has developed strong ties with the community.

Prévot is also to bring to the approval of the Core Cabinet any statements he wishes to make about the United States, the source said.

Separately, five prominent Jewish members of the New Flemish Alliance published an open letter in the Joods Actueel Jewish newspaper of Belgium on Tuesday in which they called “for calm and serenity in the debate on the Middle East and, above all, for more support and understanding for Israel.”

The core of the conflict “remains that radical Palestinian voices do not want their own state alongside Israel, but instead of Israel,” added the coauthors, who included Joël Gemeiner, a member of the Antwerp City Council, and Samuel Markowitz, a member of the district council.