Amnesty urges Belgian government to act on sanctions against Israel

By Melike Pala

BRUSSELS (AA) - Activists from Amnesty International staged a protest Monday outside the office of Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, calling on the government to implement measures agreed on six months ago concerning the Gaza dossier, including a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.

The demonstration took place on Wetstraat in front of De Wever's office, where Amnesty criticized what it described as a lack of progress on key commitments aimed at addressing violations of international law by Israel.

"Six months after this step forward, which had been awaited for more than a year by tens of thousands of people who mobilized in Belgium, the government has fallen back into an unbearable inertia, even as the genocide in Gaza continues, despite the illusion of a lull maintained by an imperfectly respected ceasefire," Carine Thibaut, director of the French-speaking Belgian section of Amnesty International, said in a statement.

Amnesty acknowledged that some measures have been implemented but said several "crucial actions" remain unfulfilled, adding: "We call on the Belgian government to stop turning a blind eye and to honor its commitments."

The organization specifically highlighted the promised ban on importing goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian areas, describing it as a key tool to exert pressure on Israel.

"What consistency is there in condemning colonization while maintaining economic relations that fuel it? In doing so, the Belgian government weakens the international law it claims to defend and de facto encourages the Israeli authorities to continue committing crimes under international law against the Palestinian population," the statement said.

During the protest, activists displayed banners and drew chalk silhouettes on the ground symbolizing thousands of civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip, according to local media.

Amnesty also handed over more than 80,000 signatures from a petition urging Belgium "to do everything possible to end the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza," which was sent by mail and email to the prime minister that same morning.