Belgian MP Calls for Imposing Sanctions on Israeli Occupation

M.S | DOP - 11 March, 2023

Belgian MP Simon Moutquin called Saturday, March 11, for imposing sanctions on the extremist government of the Israeli occupation, for committing war crimes against the Palestinian people.

Moutquin said, in a speech in the Belgian Parliament, that the position of Belgium and the European Union towards what is happening in the occupied Palestinian territories is tantamount to a license to kill.

He added that the raids launched by the Israeli occupation forces or settlers in Jenin, Hawara, and Nablus come successively, which made the year 2023 the bloodiest for the Palestinian people.

“All this is happening under the most extreme right-wing government in its history, where the settlers become ministers, they get powers related to the Palestinian lands, and they assert without hesitation that they want the death of the Arabs,” said Motkin.

He pointed out that since the beginning of this year, 74 Palestinians have been killed, Israeli settler violence has peaked, and the Israeli settlements expansion has increased.

“The status quo is no longer acceptable,” he said. “To allow such a racist government to form would lead to losing all credibility of confronting the far-right around the world. Most importantly, failure to act against these war crimes is a license to kill for the Israeli government, its army, and its settlers.”

Moutquin added that the Israeli government agreement is very clear, as it stipulates the implementation of many measures, including the annexation of parts of the West Bank to the occupation state. However, the extremist government’s decision to transfer the authority of the settlers under the supervision of the Minister of Internal Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, makes this effective.

Moutquin asked, “What do we expect in the event of the seizure of the occupied Palestinian lands and the forced displacement of the Palestinians, as in Masafer Yatta, and the killing of journalists like Sherine Abu Aqleh?”

He concluded his speech by saying, “It is necessary to take a series of sanctions against the violence of Israeli settlers, including banning the import of products from Israeli settlements immediately, and summoning the Israeli ambassador for questioning about this unprecedented violence.”