Workers halt production at Belgian arms factory over Israeli officer visit

Some workers at Belgium’s major weapons manufacturer FN Herstal staged a spontaneous strike to protest the presence of an Israeli army officer who was part of a visiting delegation of defense attaches, Anadolu reports.

The walkout took place on Friday afternoon at the factory in Herstal and was initiated by members linked to the socialist trade union FGTB, the company confirmed, according to Belgian outlet L-Post cited by regional media.

Dyab Abou Jahjah, general director of the Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation, said on US social media company X that employees “stopped the machines and walked out after learning that an Israeli military officer had been received at the factory,” calling the action “a clear message” against arms-industry complicity during the Gaza war.

“If it is confirmed that the officer present was the Israeli military attaché in Belgium, then we are speaking about Moshe Tetro — implicated in attacks on hospitals and in managing the policy of hunger imposed on Gaza,” he said.

Separately, Flemish public broadcaster VRT NWS reported that the Hind Rajab Foundation filed a complaint with prosecutors at the International Criminal Court in The Hague against the Israeli military attache in Brussels.

Abou Jahjah also urged Belgian authorities to expel the attache, saying the organization had already submitted documentation to the ICC in December 2024 concerning his alleged role.