Last Monday, the head of the Walloon government, Socialist Elio Di Rupo, announced that no Walloon official would accompany the economic mission to Israel. He stressed that “the lack of progress on the peace process, the lack of progress on the ground and the violation by Israel of important elements of the Geneva Convention push us to restrain on official cooperation.’’
Israel’s ambassador to Belgium, Emmanuel Nahshon, has deplored a ”bad anti-Israel political decision.arguing that such a cancellation will affect not only Belgian enterprises but also the Palestinians themselves.
BRUSSELS—The Brussels regional government has decided to cancel a planned economic mission to Israel and the Palestinian Territories following pressure from the French-speaking Socialists and Greens.
“There will be no economic mission in Israel and Palestine There will be no political representation and hub.brussels will not be represented,” said a statement from the cabinet of Brussels Secretary of State for Commerce Pascal Smet.
The joint mission of the Brussels and Walloon Region was scheduled to take place from 8 to 11 December.
Belgian media reported last week that several ministers in the Brussels government proposed the outright cancellation of the mission while others felt that Belgian companies could instead find new opportunities in Israel.
Last Monday, the head of the Walloon government, Socialist Elio Di Rupo announced that no Walloon official would accompany the economic mission to Israel.
He stressed that “the lack of progress on the peace process, the lack of progress on the ground and the violation by Israel of important elements of the Geneva Convention push us to restrain on official cooperation.’’
Israel’s ambassador to Belgium, Emmanuel Nahshon, has deplored a ”bad anti-Israel political decision.arguing that such a cancellation will affect not only Belgian enterprises but also the Palestinians themselves.
According to a recent survey by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), in Europe, support for the campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against the State of Israel is the highest in Belgium where 18 percent said they supported BDS.