Belgian city jumps on the bandwagon of suspending ties with 'Israel'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
25 Apr 2023 23:41
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Liège is the latest city in Europe to suspend ties with "Israel" in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

People demonstrating in solidarity with the Palestinians in Brussels (AFP)

In yet another BDS victory, the Belgian city of Liège has voted to suspend its ties with "Israel" protesting its regime of “apartheid, colonization, and military occupation” against Palestinians.

Liège is the latest city in Europe to end its ties with the Israeli occupation, joining Oslo and Barcelona municipalities in ending "complicity in Israel’s grave human rights violations."

The municipal council of Liège adopted a decision to suspend relations with "Israel" as long as this entity continues to violate international law, considering it an important step forward in the fight for the rights of the Palestinian people.

The decision, which was made by the Belgian Labor Party group and received support from the Green Party, the Belgian Socialist Party, and the majority of the municipal council members, affirmed support for the "Palestinian people who suffer from apartheid, colonization, and military occupation by the State of Israel."

The decision also called for "implementing economic sanctions against Israel, starting by prohibiting the import and marketing of products from the settlements on Belgian territory; to quickly implement the government agreements by establishing a list of sanctions, including economic ones, effective against the policy of seizure of the Palestinian territories and by deepening the differentiation measures to exclude Israeli settlements from bilateral relations between Israel, Belgium, and the European Union in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 242 (of 22 November 1967) which called for the withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict; termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within a secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force."

Before and during the meeting, the Palestinian community and a number of Belgian institutions organized a protest outside the municipal building to urge participants to vote in favor of the decision.

Commenting on this issue, the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) hailed the Belgian city of Liège for its decision, highlighting that its move comes following the Barcelona mayor’s decision back in February “to suspend institutional ties with apartheid Israel."

In a press release, the Committee stressed that Palestinians salute “the tireless work of Belgian civil society that has made this position possible," urging cities worldwide to “follow the inspiring examples of Barcelona, Oslo, and Liège.”

The Belgian city of Liège has voted to end all ties with Israel citing its regime of “apartheid, colonization and military occupation” against Palestinians. Liège now joins Oslo and Barcelona municipalities in ending complicity in Israel’s grave human rights violations. pic.twitter.com/Ztrxhn4je4
— BDS movement (@BDSmovement) April 25, 2023

Back in February, Barcelona mayor Ada Colau announced that the Catalan city has decreed the suspension of relations with the Israeli occupation and all of "Tel Aviv's" institutions.

At the time, the mayor sent a letter to Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to inform him of the temporary suspension of all relations between the Catalan capital and "Tel Aviv", including the twinning agreement signed with "Israel" 25 years ago.

The decision, according to media reports, has been adopted "until the Israeli authorities put an end to the systematic violation of human rights against the Palestinian population."