Belgium PM calls on European states to impose economic sanctions on Israel

Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo is pushing for a coordinated effort among European nations to impose economic sanctions on Israel. His move is in response to the Israeli evacuation order and threatened military operation in Rafah, a southern Gaza Strip city packed with 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.

De Croo told Het Laatste Nieuws that he aims to halt Belgium’s economic ties with Israel and rally other countries to join his country taking such action. “Can we now simply continue with Israel as a trading partner?” he asked. “I don’t think so.”

The Belgian leader emphasised the tragic loss of life, particularly among children, in Israel’s ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip, and stressed that Europeans cannot stand by passively. De Croo also voiced worries about the risk of further regional escalation.

“There have been 35,000 deaths, including 10,000 children,” he pointed out. “And it is not the main reason, but we Europeans will bear the consequences. In ten years, they’re going to say, ‘You watched and took no action.’”

Regarding ongoing discussions with other European leaders, De Croo revealed that Belgium has been working with other European countries “for weeks”. He called upon EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to investigate whether Israel violated its association agreement with the EU.

Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister, Petra De Sutter, echoed De Croo’s sentiments. “We are working on further sanctions,” she pointed out.

On Monday, Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for Palestinians in eastern Rafah, a move widely seen as a prelude to the occupation state’s long-feared attack on the city, home to some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians. The military also posted maps on its social media accounts illustrating evacuation routes.

According to Israel’s Army Radio, the decision to evacuate residents from eastern Rafah was taken late Sunday by the Israeli Cabinet. It said that around 100,000 civilians believed to be present in the area were set to be evacuated.

Israel launched its offensive ostensibly to destroy the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, after its October attack on southern Israel. The occupation state stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which it denies. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. South Africa, which took the apartheid state to the ICJ, has since claimed that Israel is ignoring the court’s ruling.

The subsequent Israeli military offensive has to-date killed 35,000 Palestinians, most of them children and women, and wounded 70,000 more. An estimated 8,000 Palestinians are missing, presumed dead, under the rubble of their homes destroyed by Israel.

READ: Oxfam: Israeli invasion of Rafah would be ‘catastrophic’