Despite the mounting pressure from inside the coalition, the Belgian Government did not find an agreement for an official position on Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza during Wednesday's core cabinet meeting.
Top ministers convened for their first meeting after the summer break, amid rising calls from a section of the government coalition for Belgium to take a strong stance against Israel’s actions in Gaza, as well as pushing for the rapid recognition of Palestine.
Yet after meeting on Wednesday, the so-called Arizona coalition government was still divided after no agreement was found. Les Engages, CD&V and Vooruit have been vocal in calling on their coalition partners, N-VA and MR, to stop blocking sanctions against Israel and hold it to account for its role in the humanitarian crisis and the UN-declared famine in Gaza.
On Wednesday, this impasse was not overcome, with minister now due to reconvene on Monday to discuss the issue further, including a note of concrete measures put forward by Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot (Les Engages).
"We need to adjust our Belgian position. That is necessary," CD&V's Deputy Prime Minister Vincent Van Peteghem told the press shortly afterwards. "We must take measures and sanctions. We have now gone over those measures. On Monday we will look further at what is possible."
Budget Minister Vincent Van Peteghem talks to journalists after a 'Kern' meeting gathering selected Ministers of the Federal Government, Wednesday 27 August 2025 in Brussels. Credit: Belga / Dirk Waem
Prior to Wednesday’s meeting, Foreign Minister Prévot had spoken out against his government partners, and notably MR leader George-Louis Bouchez, for not taking a stronger position against Israel's actions.
"It is unacceptable that the attitude of one person should jeopardise the reputation of the entire country," Prévot said about Bouchez on Monday. Bouchez is not a minister so was not at the core cabinet meeting.
Prévot even upped the stakes by saying there would be a "major crisis" within the so-called Arizona coalition if major steps were not taken, including blocking government files unrelated to the situation in the Middle East.
However, this has failed to convince Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who on Tuesday called the recognition of Palestine "pointless" and even "counterproductive" without the full disarmament of Hamas, a position shared by his French-speaking liberal coalition partners, MR.
"Everyone has their own opinion," Foreign Minister Prévot said in response to De Wever’s comments about recognising Palestine. "We know that we have different opinions, so we will have to seek a consensus in the coming days."
On the Vooruit side, veteran Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke also spoke strongly in favour of resolute action by Belgium. "Every day, these atrocities, war crimes. This must stop. Vooruit's patience has run out, so the Belgian Government must send a much stronger signal that this must stop," the minister said ahead of the meeting.
Crucial Monday
During Wednesday's meeting, Prévot presented 10 concrete measures that Belgium can take against Israel, including the rapid recognition of Palestine.
According to VRT, the centrist ministers’ note was well-received by Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V) and Flemish socialists Vooruit, but less-so by Flemish Nationalists N-VA and liberals MR.
While the concrete measures will be further discussed on Monday, the reaction has illustrated the divide inside the government.
In the 25-page note, seen by VRT, Prévot reminds his colleagues that Belgium co-signed the Genocide Convention in the late 1940s. "This means that all resources at our disposal are used to prevent a genocide," the minister emphasised.
In the note, some of the measures include an import ban on products and services from Israel’s illegal settlements and an entry ban for three far-right ministers, including the Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestine, August 02, 2025. Credit: Belga
Prévot also wants to sanction settlers and settler organisations, as the UK and Canada do. He also proposed ending consular services to the 800 Belgians who live in these illegal settlements, as well as denying long-stay visas for Israeli nationals living there.
Other measures include banning aircraft carrying weapons to Israel from flying over Belgian airspace, and cutting all ties with the Israeli defence sector. Since the start of the war in Gaza, the Belgian army has purchased another 100 tonnes of ammunition from an Israeli defence company.
Finally, Prévot also wants the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office to prosecute any Belgians who are accused of committing international crimes in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
"We are not talking about a blank cheque, but we must be on the right side of history," Prévot said.
