Belgian Parliament Calls for Sanctions Against ‘Israel’ If Annexation Goes Ahead

By Staff, Agencies

The Belgian parliament on Friday morning passed with an overwhelming majority a resolution urging the government to act to prevent the ‘Israeli’ entity from unilaterally annexing parts of the West Bank and to actively advocate for European-wide punitive measures against the Tel Aviv regime if it proceeds with its plan.

The Chamber of Representatives in Brussels was also originally scheduled to discuss and vote on a motion calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state, but it was postponed due to last-minutes amendments.

The resolution “concerning ‘Israel’s’ annexation of occupied territories in Palestine,” proposed by three politicians from the Greens, passed with 101 ‘yes’ votes and 39 abstentions. No one voted against.

The motion urges the government of Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes “to take the initiative with third countries, at European and multilateral levels, to prevent the annexation [by] ‘Israel’ of the Palestinian territories, or parts of them.”

The resolution further calls on Brussels to play a leading role in formulating a “list of efficient counter-measures geared at responding in a proportional manner to any ‘Israeli’ annexation of occupied Palestinian territory.”

The European Union and many of its member states vehemently oppose the Zionist entity’s declared goal to annex up to 30 percent more of the West Bank as early as July 1, but have not yet formulated any punitive measures against the Tel Aviv regime if it were to implement its plan.

The EU requires consensus among all 27 member states to apply significant sanctions on ‘Israel’, but some countries such as Hungary and Austria are widely expected to veto any measures against the occupation entity.