Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent to southern Lebanon: Israeli warplanes launched a raid on the Ksar Zaatar neighborhood in western Nabatieh.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The tower destroyed by the Israeli occupation in Gaza includes media offices, including Al Mayadeen's bureau.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: Four fetuses and three premature babies died at Nasser Medical Complex due to malnutrition
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the town of Burj Qalawieh, south Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The first ship of the Maghreb fleet delivering aid to break the siege on Gaza departs from the port of Gammarth in Tunisia.
Channel 12: Airspace closed at Ramon Airport due to fears of drone infiltration
IOF Spokesperson: Sirens sounded over an aircraft infiltration in the Bir Ora area, and details are being examined
Drone infiltration sirens sound north of the Gulf of Aqaba
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out five extremely violent raids on the western areas of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out major bombings in the Gaza Strip, the most violent since October 7

Belgian minister slams 'Israel' over 'erasing Palestinian villages'

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 2 Sep 2023 14:39
4 Min Read

The Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation and Urban Policy says "entire [Palestinian] villages are being wiped off the map by the Israelis."

  • x
  • Belgian minister
    Belgian Minister for Development Cooperation and Metropolitan Policy, Caroline Gennez, speaks during a plenary session of the Chamber at the Federal Parliament in Brussels (AFP)

Caroline Gennez, the Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation and Urban Policy, accused this week the Israeli occupation of "erasing entire Palestinian villages from the map."

In an interview for the De Morgen newspaper, Gennez said, "Entire [Palestinian] villages are being wiped off the map by the Israelis."

"In the occupied Palestinian territories, the situation is no longer sustainable. Entire villages have been wiped off the map by Israelis. The periods of violent escalation are becoming shorter and more intense," she told the newspaper.

"As a result, the population has nowhere to turn. More Palestinians have been injured and killed due to violence since the beginning of this year compared to all of 2022," the Belgian Minister pointed out, deeming the situation as "unsustainable".

Gennez highlighted that "the periods of escalating violence are shorter than before, but more frequent and more intense. As a result, the population no longer has room to catch its breath."

Following the Minister's remarks, the Israeli occupation Foreign Ministry summoned Belgium's Ambassador to "Israel", Jean-Luc Dodson.

The occupation's Ambassador to Belgium, Idit Rosenzweig-Abu, also handed the Belgian Foreign Ministry and Gennez a strongly-worded protest letter.

Rosenzweig-Abu, who described Gennez's statements as "libelous and defamatory," wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) that "the Belgian ambassador in Israel was summoned to the MFA for reprimand and required to provide explanations."

In recent years, Israeli-Belgian relations have witnessed minor setbacks. In 2021, then-deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll refused to meet with Belgian officials, after Belgium's announcement that it would mark Israeli products coming from the occupied West Bank and tighten restrictions on products coming from illegal Israeli settlements.

It is noteworthy that under international law, all Israeli settlements are illegal, and the United Nations Security Council has condemned Israeli settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed in late February that Israeli-built settlements are "illegal" and they "must stop".

Related News

Israeli airstrikes ravage Gaza City, killing dozens, razing buildings

Israeli forces raid al-Aqsa library, step up West Bank demolitions

In mid-August, a UN report revealed that 56 Palestinian-owned structures, including six homes, were either seized or demolished by the Israeli occupation in occupied Al-Quds and Area C of the occupied West Bank in just two weeks.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the demolitions and seizures took place under the pretext of not possessing construction permits, noting that they are almost impossible to obtain.

The UN body stated that the Israeli demolitions have resulted in the expulsion of over 20 Palestinians, most of them children, and affected the livelihoods of some 3,500 others.

The report highlighted that all of the demolished structures in the eastern part of occupied Al-Quds "were destroyed by their owners to avoid the payment of fines to the Israeli authorities."

Andrea De Domenico, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, acknowledged that "the displacement of Palestinians amid increasing settler violence is of a magnitude that we have not previously documented."

According to the office, Israeli settler attacks against Palestinian territory in the past year and a half forcibly expelled nearly 500 Palestinians, including 261 children.

In a similar report, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) stated that illegal Israeli settlers continue to systematically occupy Palestinian lands and forcibly expel hundreds of Palestinians from their homes, causing some Palestinian communities to vanish off the map.

Human Rights Watch said that the Israeli occupation government's new entry restrictions for foreigners in the occupied #WestBank facilitate further isolation of #Palestinians from global society. pic.twitter.com/vgQJVEz2pW

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 12, 2023

"There are entire Palestinian communities being wiped off the map, a shameful legacy of unrelenting violence, intimidation and harassment perpetrated by Israeli settlers and, in some cases, encouraged by Israeli authorities," Ana Povrzenic, the NRC’s country director for Palestine, expressed.

Povrzenic further added that "the rapid establishment of settlement outposts and takeover of Palestinian land is choking Palestinian communities, destroying their livelihoods, and putting Palestinian lives at risk. Palestinians have no choice but to flee, leaving behind their homes, schools, and jobs."

According to the NRC, approximately 60 Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank are at increased risk of forcible displacement as a result of Israeli violence.

"Without holding Israel accountable, more and more Palestinian communities will be forcibly transferred," an NRC official warned.

Read more: Palestinian death toll highest in years: UN report

  • Palestine
  • Israeli Settlements
  • Israel
  • West Bank
  • Israeli occupation
  • Belgium

Most Read

The damaged building in the Katara neighborhood, Doha, Qatar, September 9, 2025 (Social media)

Hamas delegation survives Israeli assassination attempt in Qatar

  • Politics
  • 9 Sep 2025
Pro-"Israel" conservative Charlie Kirk shot during Utah speech

American far-right activist Charlie Kirk shot dead during Utah speech

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025
A screengrab from the ad played on Fox News. (X Screengrab)

Fox airs ad warning Trump not to let Netanyahu 'play' him on Gaza

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
President Nicolas Maduro gestures to supporters during the inauguration of a monument in China's honor on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, September 3, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Maduro warns of threats, urges 'battle for truth' to defend Venezuela

Damage is seen after an Israeli strike targeted a compound that hosted Hamas' political leadership in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
Politics

Netanyahu informed Trump before deadly attack in Doha: Reports

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hold a joint press conference at the Prime Minister's Office, during Rubio's visit, in occupied al-Quds, occupied Palestine, Monday, September 15, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu warns of Israeli isolation, calls to boost self-reliance

Spain axes €700Mln arms deals with 'Israel' over Gaza genocide
Politics

Spain axes €700Mln arms deals with 'Israel' over Gaza genocide

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS