Brussels – Republic of Palestine
Activists from various civil society organisations and trade unions staged a protest in central Brussels on Wednesday, unfurling a 25-metre-long banner at Kunstberg calling on Prime Minister Bart De Wever to take concrete action against Israel.
The banner read: “75,000 Palestinians starved, shot and killed. Still no real sanctions. How much longer, Prime Minister De Wever?”
The protesters criticised the Belgian government for failing to fully implement its commitments on Gaza and for delaying measures that could exert meaningful pressure on Israel. They also highlighted the continuing expansion of Israeli settlements and escalating violence in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The demonstrators presented five key demands, including the full implementation of Belgium’s September commitments, an effective ban on trade with Israeli settlements, an end to investments supporting the occupation, targeted Belgian sanctions against individuals and entities involved in serious violations of international law, a moratorium on the purchase of Israeli military equipment, and the exclusion of companies involved in serious violations from public procurement.
The action sends a clear message to the Belgian government: political statements are not enough; concrete measures are needed to protect Palestinian rights and uphold international law.
