Statements by the Belgian Foreign Minister appear to be at odds with the general feeling that the new government under Bart De Wever represents an important change in its policy towards Israel compared to the previous government who under former Prime Minister Alexander De Croo was considered as one of the most hostile of Israel in Europe together with Spain and Ireland.

While the Belgian coalition government set up last February was hailed as more balanced and even positive towards Israel compared to the previous one which was one of the most hostile among EU member states, statements made since then show some tone differences among cabinet members.

First statements by the new Belgian Foreign Minister appear to be at odds with the general feeling that the new government under Bart De Wever represents an important change in its policy towards Israel compared to the previous government who under former Prime Minister Alexander De Croo was considered as one of the most hostile of Israel in Europe together with Spain and Ireland.

In its latest remarks, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who is from the Flemish conservative New Flemish Alliance (NV-A) political party pushed back against a journalist’s assertion that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and said it is too early to recognize a Palestinian state due to unresolved complexities.
In an interview with Flemish public television VRT, the journalist told De Wever: ‘’I hear that the majority [in parliament]is working on a resolution to sharpen the tone against the genocide that’s happening there by Israel.”

De Wever challenged the premise of the question. “Your line of questioning is extremely dubious,” he said. ‘’You’re already operating under the assumption of genocide—that is something for the International Court of Justice to determine.”

Regarding the possibility of a recognition of a Palestinian state, an idea that was aired by French President Emmanuel Macron, De Wever cautioned against a premature decision, citing significant unanswered questions. “What territory are we recognizing? Which authority? Is it democratic, legitimate? Is it committed to recognizing Israel, to the demilitarization of Hamas and to providing security guarantees, with broader implications for the Arab world?”

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.  He took office in February after his party became the largest in the country in the general election in 2024. He is leading a coalition which includes center-left and center-right parties from both Flemish and French-speaking Belgium.

Under the previous government led by Herman De Croo, Belgium announced support for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. It also pledged to honor an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

De Wever has since reversed course, saying that Belgium would not enforce such a warrant. “There is such a thing as realpolitik. I don’t think any European country would arrest Netanyahu if he were on their territory. France wouldn’t do it, and I don’t think we would either.”

But his Foreign Minister, Maxime Prévot, who is from the center ‘’Les Engagés’’ party, casted a more cautious view, saying that “the Prime Minister’s statements have not been discussed within the government”.
“Belgium continues to support the International Criminal Court and international rules. The possible arrest of Mr. Netanyahu in Belgium is in any case a legal decision that does not belong to the government because of the separation of powers,’’ he said.

Last week, in a post on X, Prévot slammed Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza which he said ‘’is an absolute disgrace on both a human and moral level,.’’

‘’This can be considered a war crime under international law,’’ he added.

‘’ Starving a population, women and children, cannot be a legitimate part of any war strategy. The international community, including the European Union, must heed the alarm bells sounded by the United Nations and urgently address this alarming situation to unblock access. This cannot continue,’’ the minister wrote.

Earlier this year, he summoned Israel’s ambassador to Belgium following the “resumption of hostilities in Gaza and the many civilian victims to be deplored”.

“This raises fears of a further escalation of regional tensions in the Middle East,’’ the minister said.

He expressed concern about the fate of the Palestinian civilian population, and points out that preventing the supply of humanitarian aid is a serious violation of international law.

At the same time he said he was concerned about the fate of the Israeli hostages, “whose full release was provided for in the ceasefire agreement and whose families may fear negative repercussions from this morning’s attacks.”

Last month, according to daily De Standaard, the government put in place a new unusual procedure under which the Foreign Minister must receive the approval of a ‘’Core Cabinet’’, a panel composed of De Wever and five Deputy Prime Ministers, for any statement about Israel, to make sure that Belgium remains ‘’fair’’ when speaking about this topic. Prévot is among the five deputies.

JNS contributed to this report.