Belgium announces ‘enhanced status’ for Palestinian Mission in Brussels

Belgium announced yesterday an upgrade in the status of the Palestinian Mission in Brussels, reported the Jerusalem Post, “in a nod to its support for unilateral Palestinian statehood”.

Belgium Foreign Minister Didier Reynders tweeted about the upgrade after a meeting in Brussels with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki, writing: “Productive meeting with @RiadMalki and @AlexanderDeCroo to review the #Belgium-#Palestine relationship: new priorities for development cooperation, training of diplomats, enhanced status for the Palestinian Mission in Brussels.” No further details were provided.

In addition, “a number of EU member states that had been part of the former Soviet Union, conferred statehood status on Palestine decades ago when they were part of the Soviet bloc.”

In 2011, The Jerusalem Post added, Belgium was one among those United Nations (UN) member states that “voted to upgrade the Palestinian status at the UN to that of a non-member state”.

Ahead of Belgium taking its rotating, two-year seat on the UN Security Council in January, meanwhile, Foreign Minister Reynders also tweeted: “As Belgium joins the Security Council, long and rich discussion with Riad Malki of Palestine on ways to relaunch a peace process toward a common sustainable future for two states, Israel and Palestine, as well as on the role of the EU & the UN.”

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