>**Not only party chairman Bart De Wever stands firmly behind Israel. Under the impetus of MPs Michael Freilich, Theo Francken and Koen Metsu, among others, N-VA’s turnaround seems complete and the party is clearly choosing a side in the conflict. The condemnation of the bloody Hamas terror is evident, but the Flemish nationalists remain silent about Israeli war violence and human rights violations against Palestinians.**
>
>There is “blood on the hands” of many Belgian politicians, who bear a crushing moral responsibility. Antwerp city councilor and former alderman **André Gantman** (N-VA) did anything but hold back during the **Shalom Festival** last Sunday (15/10) at Antwerp’s Groenplaats.
>
>His party colleague and Antwerp alderman **Annick De Ridder** also did not shy away from using big words. Following [ Israeli Defense Minister **Yoav Galant,** ](https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/international/101023/otages-civils-aux-mains-du-hamas-du-jamais-vu-dans-l-histoire-d-israel) De Ridder described Hamas’ brutal terrorist attack on October 7 and the kidnapping of more than a hundred Israelis as “bestial”.
>
>Gantman also referred approvingly to mayor and N-VA party chairman **Bart De Wever** , who, during a commemoration of the terror attack on Antwerp’s Steenplein on October 10, called for “close ranks and open eyes against the forces of tyranny and darkness”. During the ‘peace festival’, all speakers spoke uncritically in favor of solidarity with Israel.
>
>Such crude rhetorical artillery no longer comes as a surprise. During this period of government, the Flemish nationalists took resolutely pro-Israeli positions. While MP **Kathleen Depoorter** leveled unfounded accusations of terrorism against Belgian-backed Palestinian NGOs, parliamentarians remained silent when Israel overstepped its bounds and violated the human rights of the Palestinians.
>
>Of course, parallel diplomacy
>
>With this one-sided attitude, the party joins the populist right and extreme right parties with which N-VA forms the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECH) faction in the European Parliament. Many faction members are known for their outspoken pro-Israeli and anti-Palestinian positions, with **Bert-Jan Ruissen** (SGP), the Dutch vice-chairman of the **European Parliament delegation for relations with Israel** , as the ultimate example.
>
>A [ draft resolution ](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2022-0557_NL.html) that Ruissen submitted together with N-VA MEP **Assita Kanko** in December 2022 shows that the ECH faction is a strong supporter of the Abraham Accords. Those agreements for peace and cooperation between Israel on the one hand and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the other were signed on September 15, 2020 at the White House. Sudan and Morocco joined the agreements in the same year.
>
>The accords were part of then US President **Donald Trump’s** ‘deal of the century’ , for which he also moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The accords were named after the prophet Abraham, patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
edit: adding:
>’Normalization’ without Palestinians
>
>Palestinian politicians and organizations received the Abraham Accords as anything but positive. After all, the agreements ignore a negotiated solution with the Palestinians to the protracted conflict in Israel-Palestine.
>
>The Abraham Accords are part of Israeli Prime Minister **Benjamin** **Netanyahu** ‘s doctrine : make peace with the Arab world, while completely ignoring the Palestinians. However, that doctrine was doomed to failure. “The Hamas attack has reminded Israelis and the world, for better or for worse, that the Palestinians are still here and they are involved in the ongoing conflict, not the Emirates or the Saudis,” the statement said. piece on the independent news site +972 Magazine, [ which Apache published in translation ](https://www.apache.be/2023/10/14/einde-van-netanyahu-doctrine)
>
>According to analysts, the fact that Palestinians feel more abandoned than ever gave [ Hamas an impetus ](https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/10/11/analysis-why-did-hamas-attack-now-and-what-is-next) to carry out the bloody terror attack on Israel. In a conversation with Apache, Freilich calls that analysis pure speculation, but at the same time says that he does not involve himself in foreign affairs in his parliamentary work. “I have made agreements about this with faction leader **Peter De Roover** .”
>
>Figures from the **United Nations** and from Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organizations show how Israel’s occupation and annexation policy has only become more intense since 2020.
>
>“During the first nine months of 2023 alone, the Israeli government announced the construction of thousands of new settlements,” says Staes. “The Israeli army destroyed more than 700 Palestinian homes in the West Bank during the same period, the United Nations recorded more than 800 cases of violent settler attacks on Palestinian civilians, and the Israeli army killed more than 213 Palestinians. The UN Commission of **Inquiry for Palestine and Israel** also confirmed at the end of 2022 that ‘annexation’ has actually taken place.”
>
>Hate monger Dagan inspires Metsu
>
>N-VA MP **Koen Metsu,** as chairman of the **Belgium-Israel Inter-Parliamentary Union section** , is also involved in Israel and Israeli politics, although, like Freilich, he also does not sit on the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations.
>
>Apache wrote last year that Metsu’s journey through the occupied West Bank [ was accompanied by extremist settler leader **Yossi Dagan** ](https://www.apache.be/2022/04/29/koen-metsu-vaarwater-extremistische-israelische-kolonistenleider) , head of the **Regional Council of Samaria** *(Samaria is the name the Israelis give to part of the West Bank, ed.).* Metsu also invited Dagan to the Senate. Dagan deliberately incites violence on a regular basis. Also last week.
>
>For example, he called on Israeli settlers to [ block the passage of Palestinian ambulances ](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-14/ty-article/.premium/two-palestinians-killed-in-settler-attack-on-ambulances-palestinian-health-ministry-says/0000018b-2550-d680-af9b-27dec5a90000) . The ambulances were attempting to transport four dead bodies of victims of settler violence in the West Bank to a nearby village for burial. Dozens of settlers responded to Dagan’s call. When they fired wildly, two more people were killed.
>
>Israeli settlers [Since the Gaza tragedy, ](https://www.demorgen.be/nieuws/zo-ziet-etnische-zuivering-eruit-kolonisten-verjagen-in-sneltempo-schaapherders-van-de-westoever~bdab2475/) have been even more aggressive than before . Land theft and ethnic cleansing are accompanied by destruction and violence against the Palestinians.
>
>Earlier this year, Apache asked N-VA faction leader De Roover whether Metsu’s ties with Dagan are compatible with the view of the N-VA and its parliamentary faction on the conflict. De Roover referred to the very complex situation in Israel, which means he does not blame Koen Metsu “for going on the spot to gain more insight”.
>
>Confess
>
>In any case, we can continue to expect rhetorical bidding from MP **Theo** **Francken** . According to him, forty years of mass migration have tilted public opinion in Western European “pan-Arab” cities “completely in favor of Palestine”. And just like Gantman, Francken points the finger at politicians. He calls “communists, socialists and ecologists” complicit in their “extreme anti-Israel attitude.”
>
>Not much seems to be left of the former popular nationalism with a focus on the right of people to self-determination. Now that the elections for the Flemish, federal and European Parliament are approaching, other NV-A members will also have to show their colours.
>
>Will the previous condemnation by N-VA members of Hamas’s war crimes be followed by equally sharp condemnations of the war crimes committed by the Israeli army by taking innocent civilians hostage in Gaza and bombarding them with air strikes? And what reactions will follow if the Israeli army launches a ground offensive?
>
>If, after the elections, N-VA negotiates a possible entry into a new federal government, the Belgian position towards Israel may be on the table. To this day, Belgium belongs to the group of EU countries that are rather critical of Israel
1 comment
>**Not only party chairman Bart De Wever stands firmly behind Israel. Under the impetus of MPs Michael Freilich, Theo Francken and Koen Metsu, among others, N-VA’s turnaround seems complete and the party is clearly choosing a side in the conflict. The condemnation of the bloody Hamas terror is evident, but the Flemish nationalists remain silent about Israeli war violence and human rights violations against Palestinians.**
>
>There is “blood on the hands” of many Belgian politicians, who bear a crushing moral responsibility. Antwerp city councilor and former alderman **André Gantman** (N-VA) did anything but hold back during the **Shalom Festival** last Sunday (15/10) at Antwerp’s Groenplaats.
>
>His party colleague and Antwerp alderman **Annick De Ridder** also did not shy away from using big words. Following [ Israeli Defense Minister **Yoav Galant,** ](https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/international/101023/otages-civils-aux-mains-du-hamas-du-jamais-vu-dans-l-histoire-d-israel) De Ridder described Hamas’ brutal terrorist attack on October 7 and the kidnapping of more than a hundred Israelis as “bestial”.
>
>Gantman also referred approvingly to mayor and N-VA party chairman **Bart De Wever** , who, during a commemoration of the terror attack on Antwerp’s Steenplein on October 10, called for “close ranks and open eyes against the forces of tyranny and darkness”. During the ‘peace festival’, all speakers spoke uncritically in favor of solidarity with Israel.
>
>Such crude rhetorical artillery no longer comes as a surprise. During this period of government, the Flemish nationalists took resolutely pro-Israeli positions. While MP **Kathleen Depoorter** leveled unfounded accusations of terrorism against Belgian-backed Palestinian NGOs, parliamentarians remained silent when Israel overstepped its bounds and violated the human rights of the Palestinians.
>
>Of course, parallel diplomacy
>
>With this one-sided attitude, the party joins the populist right and extreme right parties with which N-VA forms the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECH) faction in the European Parliament. Many faction members are known for their outspoken pro-Israeli and anti-Palestinian positions, with **Bert-Jan Ruissen** (SGP), the Dutch vice-chairman of the **European Parliament delegation for relations with Israel** , as the ultimate example.
>
>A [ draft resolution ](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2022-0557_NL.html) that Ruissen submitted together with N-VA MEP **Assita Kanko** in December 2022 shows that the ECH faction is a strong supporter of the Abraham Accords. Those agreements for peace and cooperation between Israel on the one hand and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the other were signed on September 15, 2020 at the White House. Sudan and Morocco joined the agreements in the same year.
>
>The accords were part of then US President **Donald Trump’s** ‘deal of the century’ , for which he also moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The accords were named after the prophet Abraham, patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
edit: adding:
>’Normalization’ without Palestinians
>
>Palestinian politicians and organizations received the Abraham Accords as anything but positive. After all, the agreements ignore a negotiated solution with the Palestinians to the protracted conflict in Israel-Palestine.
>
>The Abraham Accords are part of Israeli Prime Minister **Benjamin** **Netanyahu** ‘s doctrine : make peace with the Arab world, while completely ignoring the Palestinians. However, that doctrine was doomed to failure. “The Hamas attack has reminded Israelis and the world, for better or for worse, that the Palestinians are still here and they are involved in the ongoing conflict, not the Emirates or the Saudis,” the statement said. piece on the independent news site +972 Magazine, [ which Apache published in translation ](https://www.apache.be/2023/10/14/einde-van-netanyahu-doctrine)
>
>According to analysts, the fact that Palestinians feel more abandoned than ever gave [ Hamas an impetus ](https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/10/11/analysis-why-did-hamas-attack-now-and-what-is-next) to carry out the bloody terror attack on Israel. In a conversation with Apache, Freilich calls that analysis pure speculation, but at the same time says that he does not involve himself in foreign affairs in his parliamentary work. “I have made agreements about this with faction leader **Peter De Roover** .”
>
>Figures from the **United Nations** and from Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organizations show how Israel’s occupation and annexation policy has only become more intense since 2020.
>
>“During the first nine months of 2023 alone, the Israeli government announced the construction of thousands of new settlements,” says Staes. “The Israeli army destroyed more than 700 Palestinian homes in the West Bank during the same period, the United Nations recorded more than 800 cases of violent settler attacks on Palestinian civilians, and the Israeli army killed more than 213 Palestinians. The UN Commission of **Inquiry for Palestine and Israel** also confirmed at the end of 2022 that ‘annexation’ has actually taken place.”
>
>Hate monger Dagan inspires Metsu
>
>N-VA MP **Koen Metsu,** as chairman of the **Belgium-Israel Inter-Parliamentary Union section** , is also involved in Israel and Israeli politics, although, like Freilich, he also does not sit on the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations.
>
>Apache wrote last year that Metsu’s journey through the occupied West Bank [ was accompanied by extremist settler leader **Yossi Dagan** ](https://www.apache.be/2022/04/29/koen-metsu-vaarwater-extremistische-israelische-kolonistenleider) , head of the **Regional Council of Samaria** *(Samaria is the name the Israelis give to part of the West Bank, ed.).* Metsu also invited Dagan to the Senate. Dagan deliberately incites violence on a regular basis. Also last week.
>
>For example, he called on Israeli settlers to [ block the passage of Palestinian ambulances ](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-14/ty-article/.premium/two-palestinians-killed-in-settler-attack-on-ambulances-palestinian-health-ministry-says/0000018b-2550-d680-af9b-27dec5a90000) . The ambulances were attempting to transport four dead bodies of victims of settler violence in the West Bank to a nearby village for burial. Dozens of settlers responded to Dagan’s call. When they fired wildly, two more people were killed.
>
>Israeli settlers [Since the Gaza tragedy, ](https://www.demorgen.be/nieuws/zo-ziet-etnische-zuivering-eruit-kolonisten-verjagen-in-sneltempo-schaapherders-van-de-westoever~bdab2475/) have been even more aggressive than before . Land theft and ethnic cleansing are accompanied by destruction and violence against the Palestinians.
>
>Earlier this year, Apache asked N-VA faction leader De Roover whether Metsu’s ties with Dagan are compatible with the view of the N-VA and its parliamentary faction on the conflict. De Roover referred to the very complex situation in Israel, which means he does not blame Koen Metsu “for going on the spot to gain more insight”.
>
>Confess
>
>In any case, we can continue to expect rhetorical bidding from MP **Theo** **Francken** . According to him, forty years of mass migration have tilted public opinion in Western European “pan-Arab” cities “completely in favor of Palestine”. And just like Gantman, Francken points the finger at politicians. He calls “communists, socialists and ecologists” complicit in their “extreme anti-Israel attitude.”
>
>Not much seems to be left of the former popular nationalism with a focus on the right of people to self-determination. Now that the elections for the Flemish, federal and European Parliament are approaching, other NV-A members will also have to show their colours.
>
>Will the previous condemnation by N-VA members of Hamas’s war crimes be followed by equally sharp condemnations of the war crimes committed by the Israeli army by taking innocent civilians hostage in Gaza and bombarding them with air strikes? And what reactions will follow if the Israeli army launches a ground offensive?
>
>If, after the elections, N-VA negotiates a possible entry into a new federal government, the Belgian position towards Israel may be on the table. To this day, Belgium belongs to the group of EU countries that are rather critical of Israel