Belgium Bans Arms Shipments to Israel

Israeli military in the Gaza Strip. (Source: IDF)

JAKARTA - The Belgian government has imposed a ban on sending weapons to Israel in its territory, a move that indicates the European country's disapproval of Israel's behavior in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

The royal decree requires any airline or person who knows about the transport of military equipment intended for Israel to inform the Belgian government, Le Soir reported, as reported by The National (26/1).

Although it does not directly prohibit Belgian arms manufacturers from cooperating with Israel, the decision is regulated by regional authorities, not the federal government - making the transport of weapons impossible because they require a permit from the federal government.

The decree took effect on Thursday and was reportedly prompted by Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, who is vocal about the need to maintain pressure on Israel, despite an Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish and US-mediated ceasefire that took effect last October.

Belgium now joins several EU countries that have banned arms exports to Israel. Spain's parliament approved a similar move in October, months after Slovenia.

Speaking to The National in September when Belgium, along with nine other countries, recognized the Palestinian state's sovereignty, Foreign Minister Prevot called for further sanctions against Israel.

"This is really the only way to change the attitude of the Israeli Government," he said.

In October, Foreign Minister Prevot said he had reached an agreement with the Wallonia and Flanders regions to ban arms transfers to Israel.

"Flanders has a very strict system. Wallonia wants to take the initiative, but the decree was canceled," he explained.

Prevot told national television station RTBF, he demanded "guarantees that humanitarian aid can be sent massively to Gaza. That is why we maintain our series of sanctions".

Much earlier, Belgium in 2009 decided not to issue export permits for weapons that would strengthen the Israeli military, although goods can be sent to Israel in some cases, for example if they are to be exported to a third country.

Separately, pro-Palestinian groups in Belgium said the decision was not fully respected. Four groups sued the Flemish government, which oversees Europe's second-largest container port in the coastal city of Antwerp. A court ruling issued last summer ordered the local government to block the transit of military goods to Israel.

The judge supported their position by referring to the violations of international law documented by Israel in Gaza since October 7, 2023. References were made to violations of international humanitarian law, the laws of war, and the Genocide Convention established by the United Nations and the International Court of Justice.

In 2024, a Belgian company called Cargo Airlines managed to transfer goods intended for Israel, as reported by Le Soir. The company is reported to have taken advantage of a legal loophole that does not require a permit application as long as the cargo does not leave the plane.

US transport company FedEx is also under investigation in Belgium after local media reported they had transported F35 components from a US military base to Israel via Belgium.