Maxime Prévot on Tuesday retracted his statements to the press. He recalled that, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he was “not empowered to deliver a specific message on this question of genocide on behalf of the government”, which also brings together “a variety of sensitivities on this issue”.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot has for the first time used the term ‘’genocide’’ to describe what is happening in Gaza.

‘’As Minister of Foreign Affairs, it’s not for me to make these kinds of statements. But my personal opinion is that this is very close to genocide. I don’t know what other horrors have to happen before that word can be used,’’ he told Flemish weekly magazine Humo.

“They make me very angry. Since April, I’ve been saying that the humanitarian blockade is an absolute disgrace. Deliberately starving a population is a war crime. That’s why I’ve put a series of measures on the government’s table, including sanctions against Israel,’’ he said.

Prévot is a member of the ”Les Engagés” centrist party in the coalition government led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever of the Conservative NV-A  party who has so far refused to use the term ‘’genocide.’’

Prévot said he believes it is time to recognize the Palestinian state, but wants first and foremost ‘’to break the Israeli blockade’’. “The second step is an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of all hostages. Only then can we start working on a Palestinian state, although this will also depend on the dismantling of Hamas.”

Contacted by the French-spaking television RTBF, Maxime Prévot on Tuesday retracted his statements to the press. He recalled that, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he was “not empowered to deliver a specific message on this question of genocide on behalf of the government”, which also brings together “a variety of sensitivities on this issue”.