Under Belgium’s new center-right government, the foreign minister must receive the Cabinet’s approval for any statement about Israel.
Under the unusual procedure put in place by the government of Prime Minister Bart de Wever, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot must bring any statement about the Jewish state for approval by the Core Cabinet, a panel composed of De Wever and his five deputy prime ministers, De Standaard daily reported. Prévot is among the five deputies.
A source close to the government who spoke to JNS on condition of anonymity said that this measure was to make sure Belgium “remains fair” when speaking about Israel.
Belgium’s previous government, where the Socialist Party was the largest partner, was among the most anti-Israel in the European Union. Under it, Belgium announced that it would intervene in favor of the genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
De Wever’s conservative New Flemish Alliance won the highest number of votes in the 2024 election and assembled a center-right coalition. The coalition partners agreed to put aside their differences regarding the Jewish state, the source said.
“The procedure on statements about Israel is meant to make sure we keep this equilibrium and we don’t get into fights on Israel, which would neither advance the interests of Belgian voters nor impact what happens in the Middle East,” the source said.
Prévot, who belongs to the more centrist Les Engagés party, is also to bring to the approval of the Core Cabinet any statements he wishes to make about the United States, the source said.
Separately, five prominent Jewish members of the New Flemish Alliance published an open letter in the Joods Actueel Jewish newspaper of Belgium on Tuesday in which they called “for calm and serenity in the debate on the Middle East and, above all, for more support and understanding for Israel.”
The core of the conflict “remains that radical Palestinian voices do not want their own state alongside Israel, but instead of Israel,” added the coauthors, who included Joël Gemeiner, a member of the Antwerp City Council, and Samuel Markowitz, a member of the district council.
