Diplomatic row between Belgium, Israel over Palestinian territories

A diplomatic crisis has arisen between Belgium and Israel after Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation Caroline Gennez said in an interview that Israel has destroyed entire villages in the Palestinian territories and violated human rights by killing and injuring Palestinians.

In an interview with De Morgen, the Belgian minister said, “In the occupied Palestinian territories, for example, the situation is becoming unsustainable. Entire villages are being wiped off the map by the Israelis. The periods of escalating violence are shorter than before, but more frequent and more intense. As a result, the population no longer has room to catch its breath. More Palestinians have been injured and killed in violence since the beginning of this year than in all of 2022.”

Israel’s Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg Idit Rosenzweig-Abu said on X (formerly known as Twitter) that she was shocked by the Belgian minister’s remarks, saying that the embassy in Belgium submitted a letter of protest on August 30 to Minister Gennez and Belgium’s Foreign Ministry.

“The Belgian ambassador in Israel was summoned to the [Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs] for reprimand and required to provide explanations,” Rosenzweig-Abu added.

Yesterday I was shocked to read the libellous and defamatory accusation made by @carogennez in her interview in @demorgen 
Today the Embassy has issued an official letter of protest to Minister Gennez and to @BelgiumMFA .
The Belgian ambassador in Israel was summoned to the 🇮🇱MFA… pic.twitter.com/eqf4KmhYgJ

— Ambassador Idit Rosenzweig-Abu (@IditAbu) August 30, 2023

Social media users replied to Rosenzweig-Abu’s post, saying that Gennez is totally right and that Israeli violations against the Palestinian people are clear and seen.

In response to the Israeli ambassador to Belgium and Luxemburg, Gennez took to her X account and posted facts enhancing her media comment, saying that “2023 is unfortunately the deadliest year in a long time in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with 218 Palestinian deaths and 28 Israeli casualties. Palestinian deaths include 34 children.”

“We have also seen systematic destruction of infrastructure on the Palestinian side in recent months. This is driving whole communities out of their villages. This infrastructure has often been co-paid for through international solidarity,” she added.

The Belgian minister confirmed that she did not regret her comments, noting that a “serious conversation” with the Israeli ambassador will convene on September 7.

On August 18, Gennez condemned, in a post on X, the destruction of a primary school in the Palestinian village of Ein Samiya, northeastern Ramallah, ahead of the beginning of the educational year, saying, “Every child has the right to education. This right is fundamental, including in #Palestine. Belgium will ask Israel for explanations.”

Israeli authorities, led by a far-right government, are executing a scheme of evacuating Palestinians from their homes in Jerusalem. Israeli violations are almost carried out daily against Palestinians in the West Bank and the Old City of Jerusalem. Recently, on August 13, Israeli forces shot a 14-year-old child (Khaled Samer al-Za’neen) near Bab al-Amoud, “seriously injuring him and leaving him bleeding to death,” the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Israel plans to annex the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and separate them from the Gaza Strip.