Belgium-Israel diplomatic tensions over Palestinian crisis

In an interview with De Morgen newspaper discussing the work of Belgian non-governmental organizations in Palestine, Gennez remarked, "The situation in the occupied Palestinian territories is becoming unsustainable. Whole Palestinian villages are being wiped off the map by Israel."

Israel's Ambassador to Belgium, Idit Rosenzweig-Abu, reacted strongly to these comments, accusing Minister Gennez of making "slanderous accusations."

The Israeli Ambassador took to social media to announce that he had sent a formal letter of protest to Gennez. Additionally, the Belgian Ambassador to Israel was summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry to express their dissatisfaction with Gennez's remarks.

Gennez, however, has not backed down from her statements, which have caused a diplomatic rift between her country and Israel. Through her spokesperson, Gennez affirmed that she did not regret her comments made during the interview.

Furthermore, she emphasized Belgium's stance in support of the two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and added:

"If democracy and human rights come under pressure anywhere in the world, we oppose it. 2023 has already seen the highest number of deaths in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a long period of time. Deaths have occurred on both sides. In recent months, we have witnessed the systematic destruction of infrastructure, including schools and residential areas, some of which were funded by international organizations. This destruction has forced people in the West Bank to abandon their villages, making normal life virtually impossible. We stand in opposition to these developments."