”Belgium will only proceed to the legal recognition of the State of Palestine, once all hostages have been released and all terrorist organisations, such as Hamas, have been removed from the governance of Palestine,” stressed Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in a speech in New York.

Belgium has joined other European countries recognising a ‘’Palestinian state’’ but Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever made it clear Monday that such a recognition ‘’must not be seen as a reward to Hamas.’

Speaking in New York during a special session organized by France and Saudi Arabia on the two-state solution, in the margin of the United Nations General Assembly, he said : ‘’Conscious of the trauma suffered after the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7^th, 2023, Belgium will only proceed to the legal recognition of the State of Palestine, once all hostages have been released and all terrorist organisations, such as Hamas, have been removed from the governance of Palestine.’’

He continued, ‘’The effective conduct of diplomatic relations with the new State of Palestine —including the opening of a Belgian embassy and the conclusion of international agreements— will be carried out once the objectives of the New York Declaration have been achieved, notably the full demilitarisation of Hamas, and subsequent to the renewal of governance based on presidential and parliamentary elections, giving Palestine a strengthened and renewed Authority.’’ All these steps are intended to guarantee the security of both the Israeli and Palestinian populations.

De Wever also called for the recognition of the State of Israel by all Arab countries.

He added : ‘’The resumption of settlement activities in the West Bank, particularly the E1 project, the military operation aimed at the full occupation of Gaza, as well as the indescribable humanitarian crisis, all raise fears today that – in the absence of an international response confirming the need to keep the prospect of a Palestinian state alive – peaceful and sustainable co-existence in two states may no longer be possible.’’

He said the ‘’the recent declarations of a number of Israeli ministers, including the Prime minister himself, that ‘no State of Palestine will ever exist’ is an additional reason for reaffirming the right and the need of the Palestinians having their own State.’’

‘’Therefore, Belgium is giving out a strong political and diplomatic signal to the world today, by joining the group of countries that announces the recognition of the State of Palestine.’’