Belgium is pushing for a ban on imports into the European union of goods such as dates and olive oil from the territories occupied by Israel, the Prime Minister of the country Alexander de Cro said today to local media, quoted by the Belgian news agency Belga, BTA reported.
De Cro said that violence is intensifying not only in the Gaza Strip, but also in the occupied West Bank. Due to these circumstances, it is “difficult for European countries to say that we will continue to act as if nothing is happening”, he said on the air of the program “De Ochtend“ (“Morning“ – footnote) on VRT radio.
If Belgium could impose such a trade ban on its own, it would have “zero effect”, believes De Cro. That is why Belgium has been making efforts together with other European countries for several weeks now “to see how at least a large group of countries will be formed ready to take such a step”, he said.
De Croix again warned Israel not to launch an attack on the town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. “This would have dramatic consequences for the population”, he declared.
The Prime Minister also said that he sees how the situation is stirring spirits in Belgium, in the universities for example. “If I were a student today, there would be a good chance that I would raise my voice in protest,”, he declared.