Foreign minister to meet ICC to 'remove any doubts' about Belgium's support
Foreign minister Maxime Prévot is due to meet the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to "reiterate Belgium's support and dispel any doubts". The meeting comes after prime minister Bart De Wever said he would not arrest Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to enter Belgium.
Last week, De Wever (N-VA) told Flemish broadcaster VRT that Belgium would not arrest Netanyahu, despite the ICC issuing an arrest warrant against him last year. Coalition partners CD&V, Les Engagés and Vooruit were not pleased, saying that this position had not been discussed in the government.
De Wever insisted in parliament on Thursday that his comments were purely hypothetical. He was asked about a possible emergency landing of Netanyahu on Belgian soil, "but that will never happen". Moreover, he was mainly making a "political assessment", he said.
"It would be the first time that a sitting head of government of a democracy would be arrested on the territory of another democracy," De Wever said. Legally, however, the case is clear, he stressed. "This is a judicial decision (...), nobody can argue with it."
"This is a judicial decision (...), nobody can argue with that"
Prévot, meanwhile, said "there is no controversy, there is no dispute, the whole government is behind Belgian support for the International Criminal Court". He added that he would soon be meeting the ICC president "to reiterate our support and remove any doubts".
Divided government
The federal government is divided on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The right-wing N-VA leans more towards the Israeli side, while the centre and left coalition members tend to take a pro-Palestinian stance.
This is in sharp contrast to the previous government, which was openly pro-Palestinian. Former prime minister Alexander De Croo said at the time that Belgium would "assume its responsibility" and arrest Netanyahu if necessary.
De Croo's government also came close to recognising Palestine as an independent state. On Thursday, De Wever said Belgium would only do so once there was an agreement on a two-state solution and Palestine had a functioning state apparatus.
Foreign minister Maxime Prevot © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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