The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed today the statements made by Belgian Minister of Cooperation and Development Caroline Gennez on the violations and crimes of the Israeli occupation in the occupied Palestinian territory. In an interview with the Belgian newspaper De Morgan, Minister Gennez said that 2023 is unfortunately considered the bloodiest year in a long time in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ‘Entire villages are being wiped off the map by the Israelis. The periods of escalating violence are shorter than before but more frequent and more intense,’ she said during the interview. The Belgian minister came under Israeli criticism following her statements. The occupation government summoned the Belgian ambassador to Tel Aviv, Jean-Luc Bodson, for a reprimand session at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the occupation ambassador to Belgium, Idit Rosenzweig-Abu, submitted a letter of protest to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brussels. In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry considered that the Belgian Minister’s statements are fully consistent with international law and resolutions of international legitimacy and support the two-state solution and the principles of human rights. The ministry condemned the heinous and unjustified Israeli attack against the Belgian minister and her statements, affirming that these attacks are part of the misleading propaganda and intimidation of those who criticize the occupying state and attempt to obscure the reality of what the Palestinian people are exposed to.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA