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Belgium–Israel relations

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Belgium–Israel relations
Map indicating locations of Belgium and Israel

Belgium
Israel

Belgium–Israel relations are the bilateral relations between Belgium and Israel. Belgium voted in favor of the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947 and recognized the State of Israel on January 15, 1950. Belgium has an embassy in Tel Aviv,[1] and Israel has an embassy in Brussels.[2]

In February 2010, a plaque honoring King Albert I, husband of Elizabeth of Bavaria, was unveiled at Albert Square in Tel Aviv in the presence of the Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai and Ambassador Bénédicte Frankinet.

State visits

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King Baudouin's visit to Israel 1964

King Albert visited Tel Aviv in 1933 and was hosted by Meir Dizengoff.

King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola visited Israel in 1964.[3]

History

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In 1975, Belgium voted against the UN resolution equating Zionism with racism. It helped Israel establish informal ties with Tunisia and join the Western European and Others Group at the United Nations. Many cultural, scientific and economic bilateral agreements have been signed, and a number of Belgium-Israel friendship associations have been established. The faculty club and guesthouse of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, known as Beit Belgia, was built with the financial aid of the Belgian Friends of the Hebrew University.[3]

In 2009, Israeli exports to Belgium reached $2.37 billion, while imports from Belgium totalled $2.56 billion. In 2010, trade increased by approximately 50%.[4]

In March 2010, Israel and Belgium signed a new tax treaty agreement to improve the competitiveness of Israeli companies operating in Belgium and encourage Belgian investment in Israel.[5]

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the official visit in November 2023.

In October 2023, during the Israel-Hamas war, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo strongly condemned the atrocities committed by Hamas, and supported Israel's right to defend itself, but later deemed the destruction of Gaza "unacceptable", and called on Israel to respect international humanitarian law during its military operations. Following a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in November, De Croo held a joint press conference at the Rafah border crossing along with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.[6] During the conference, both European leaders said in a joint statement that the "indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians" in Gaza are "completely unacceptable."[7] In a joint statement, they emphasized that the time had come for the international community and the European Union (EU) to once and for all recognize a Palestinian State and called for a permanent ceasefire in the war-battered territory.[6] Israel lashed out at the two prime ministers "for not placing full responsibility for the crimes against humanity committed by Hamas, who massacred our citizens and used the Palestinians as human shields."[8][9] Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen instructed the countries' ambassadors to be summoned for a sharp reprimand, saying "We condemn the false claims of the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium who give support to terrorism."[9] Belgium, along with Spain, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan, have all announced that they will stop sending weapons to Israel.[10]

Resident diplomatic missions

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Belgian embassy in Tel Aviv". Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
  2. ^ "Israeli embassy in Brussels". Brussels.mfa.gov.il. 2012-03-26. Archived from the original on 2012-07-07. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
  3. ^ a b "A short history of the relations between Belgium and Israel". Archived from the original on 2012-01-14. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
  4. ^ "Belgium-Israel trade". Archived from the original on 2016-10-26. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
  5. ^ "Israel signed a new tax agreement with Belgium" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-11-09. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
  6. ^ a b "'A question of being humane' - Sánchez stands by Gaza comments that angered Israel". Spain in English. 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  7. ^ "Pedro Sánchez On X, 'We have to replace violence with hope.'". X (formerly Twitter) (in English and Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-11-29. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  8. ^ Keeley, Graham. "Spanish politicians who expressed sympathy for Palestine enrage Israel". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2023-11-28. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  9. ^ a b "Israel summons Spanish, Belgian ambassadors following criticism during visit to Rafah". AP News. 2023-11-24. Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  10. ^ Tait, Robert (9 Apr 2024). "Which countries supply Israel with arms and why is Biden reluctant to stop?". The Guardian.

Further reading

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  • De Raeymaeker, Omer (1980). "La Belgique et les conflits Israelo-Arabes, 1948-1978". Studia Diplomatica. 33 (5): 577–617. ISSN 0770-2965. JSTOR 44834628.
  • Berny, Catherine (1988). La Terre trop promise: Belgique-Israël, 1947-1950. CIACO.
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