Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Belgian FM Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés) threatens to block files if Palestine isn’t recognised. His memo proposes bans, sanctions, and recognition. Split with MR, N-VA recalls past clashes (2014, 2021).
As VRT News reported, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés) is raising the pressure inside the federal government over the country’s position on Israel and Palestine.
In an interview with De Standaard, he warned that he is ready to block government files if no stronger action is taken against Israel and if there is no progress toward recognition of Palestine. He said Belgium could lose credibility abroad if it stays behind other European countries that are already moving on to recognition.
What will happen if Prévot pushes for Palestine recognition in Belgium?
Prévot is now preparing a note with concrete proposals to present to Prime Minister Bart De Wever and the other deputy prime ministers. He also supports European sanctions against violent settlers, extremist Israeli figures, and Hamas leaders, and wants to consider suspending the human rights clause in the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
“For me and my party, Gaza is indeed a crucial issue.”
Minister Prévot in an interview with De Standard
The debate inside the Belgian coalition about the war in Gaza is growing more tense. Les Engagés, CD&V and Vooruit are calling for a harder line against Israel and want Belgium to recognise Palestine as a state. The N-VA and especially the MR are firmly against this. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés) said Gaza is a crucial issue for him and for his party.
“We absolutely must find a solution within the government. The attitude of one person cannot jeopardise the reputation of the entire country,”
Prévot says of MR chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) will meet his deputy prime ministers on Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025, to discuss the matter. Prévot will bring a memo with clear proposals. These include recognition of Palestine, a travel ban for Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, a ban on goods from settlements in the occupied territories, and a ban on the overflight and transit of weapons going to Israel.
“I can’t imagine Belgium joining the small club of countries that don’t recognise Palestine,”
Says Prévot.
“If we miss that boat, it will be detrimental to Belgium’s international image.”
Belgium has faced repeated tensions over its stance on Palestine. In 2014, after the Gaza war, parliament debated recognition following moves in Sweden and symbolic votes in the UK, France, Spain and Ireland. That December, the Chamber of Representatives adopted a resolution urging recognition “at the most appropriate moment,” but the ruling coalition of Charles Michel (MR) did not act further due to internal divisions.
A similar situation arose in May 2021 during another escalation in Gaza, when parliament again supported recognition, but the government delayed implementation, insisting on a common European approach. Then, as now, centrist and left-wing parties pressed for action, while MR and N-VA opposed, citing risks of diplomatic conflict with Israel and the United States.
