A demonstration calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is set to take place in Brussels this Sunday.
The march coincides with the approach of the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, commemorated annually on 15 May, which marks the mass exodus of the Palestinian population following the first first Arab-Israeli war.
The protest will begin with a gathering at 14:00 at the Brussels-North station, featuring speeches and artistic performances.
The march will start at 15:00, heading towards the Brussels-Midi via small ring road and canal, with the arrival anticipated around 16:00.
Around sixty civil society organisations are spearheading the demonstration.
Notable among them are the Belgian-Palestinian Association, Amnesty International, the Palestinian collective Beitna, the French-speaking umbrella group CNCD-11.11.11, the Flemish umbrella group 11.11.11, the trade unions FGTB and CSC, the Christian Workers’ Movement, and the Union of Progressive Jews of Belgium (UPJB).
These groups are demanding the establishment of a full military embargo and the suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement.
They also call for Belgium to uphold its international obligations, particularly by prohibiting trade with Israeli settlements located in occupied Palestinian territories.
The organisers also criticise the Belgian government’s ambiguity regarding its duty to execute International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against Israeli officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity, such as using starvation against Palestinian civilians.
Earlier in April, Prime Minister Bart De Wever sparked controversy by questioning, under the guise of realpolitik, Belgium’s execution of the arrest warrant issued against his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. Subsequently, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot reaffirmed Belgium’s support for the ICC.
