Flemish businesses seeking assistance from Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) for investments in Israel will be aided as usual, Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele (N-VA) confirmed on Tuesday in the Flemish Parliament.
Diependaele emphasised that FIT will continue to assist businesses without hesitation. “FIT will gladly help any company and roll out the red carpet,” he said.
In response, Jos D’Haese of the Workers’ Party of Belgium, PvdA, criticised the Government's approach. “We refuse to participate in such toothless compromises,” he remarked.
In an agreement reached overnight by the Flemish majority parties regarding the conflict in Gaza, it was decided that FIT’s office in Tel Aviv would no longer actively promote trade with Israel. However, Diependaele explained that this change does not mean Flemish companies will stop receiving support.
“As an example, if a pharmaceutical manufacturer asks FIT to find a distributor in Israel, they will be assisted,” the Flemish Minister-President noted during his parliamentary address.
However, the opposition pushed for a stronger stance. Kelly Van Tendeloo of Vooruit argued that FIT’s activities should be further restricted. “We would have preferred if FIT staff were primarily deployed to monitor the import ban from occupied territories,” she commented on the sidelines of the session. “But we had to reach a compromise.”
FIT has also been assigned a role in assisting with the potential future rebuilding of Gaza.
PvdA's D'Haese criticised this initiative, arguing it lacked sufficient resources to make a meaningful impact. “With just two full-time equivalents based in Tel Aviv, don’t tell me we are going to play a key role in the reconstruction of Gaza,” he said.
