Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Belgium will recognize a Palestinian state and impose sanctions against Israel, a high-ranking Brussels official said Monday, a move that is expected to be staunchly rebuked by the Middle Eastern country.
Maxime Prevot, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs for Belgium, said Brussels was acting under its international obligations to "prevent any risk of genocide" and to put pressure on both Israel and Iran-backed Hamas to end the war.
"Belgium had to take strong decisions to increase pressure on both the Israeli government and Hamas terrorists," he said in a statement published on X.
"This is not about sanctioning the Israeli people, but about ensuring that its government respects international and humanitarian law and about acting to try to bring about change on the ground."
The Israel-Palestinian conflict once again exploded into the open on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked the Middle Eastern country.
