Belgian Ambassador to Israel Olivier Belle was reprimanded at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on the instructions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after learning of a meeting that took place between the Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and representatives of two far-left wing organizations that Netanyahu said unjustifiably criticize Israel and its military in the West Bank. The meeting with the representatives of the NGOs B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence occurred during Michel’s three-day visit to Israel, just one day after his meeting with Netanyahu, during which the latter requested that Brussels cease all funding to Israeli organizations that criticize the Jewish state. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying “Israel views with utmost gravity Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel’s meeting with the leaders of Breaking the Silence and B’Tselem, during his visit to Israel,” adding that “The Belgian government must decide whether it wants to change direction or continue with an anti-Israel line.”
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his residence, during which the Belgian leader reiterated his desire to advance dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians, stressing that during the course of his meetings with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders, common positions could be identified that would viably lay the ground work for a renewed political process. The French leader refrained, nevertheless, from responding to the Israeli accusation against the Belgian government of actively pursuing a pro-Palestinian stance.
“The wish we have is that there is the capacity to make dialogue possible because we advocate peace, security and stability. I feel that the different political meetings we have had in the past few hours, past few days and also today have made it possible to reinforce the mutual understanding, to better understand the issues on which common positions may be reached and to understand well which issues are sensitive on both sides,” said Michel.
The Palestinian leader, on his part, continued his campaign to denounce Israel’s settlements, urging the international community to intervene against Israel’s construction policies while citing UN Security Council resolution 2334. “We are reiterating the contents of the final declaration of the (January 15 Middle East peace) conference and recall the importance of safeguarding the two-state solution, the cessation of colonization in accordance with Security Council resolution 2334, the end of the Israeli occupation begun in 1967 and the establishment of an international group to monitor peacebuilding efforts,” said Abbas.
UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which passed after former US President Barack Obama decided to change Washington’s stance and abstain from the vote, calls Israel’s construction of housing units on lands the Palestinian leadership demands for their future state illegal, including in east Jerusalem that is not recognized by the international community as part of the Jewish state.