The municipality of the Belgian city of Liege decided Tuesday April 25 2023 to freeze its relations with the Israeli occupation state and all its public and private institutions due to its flagrant violation of the Palestinian people’s rights.
The decision which won the majority of the municipal council’s members was tabled for vote by the Belgian Labor Green Party Socialist Party and the Vega Movement.
All the member groups affirmed their support for the Palestinian people “who have been suffering for so long from the Israeli apartheid and settlements.”
The decision also affirmed the municipality’s support for the BDS movement and its refusal to deal with any institution having ties with settlements or playing any role in perpetuating the Israeli occupation in compliance with the Belgian and European Union laws.
The decision also underlined that Israel’s regime of apartheid colonization and military occupation violates the European human rights system and the rules of the international law.
It called on the Israeli regime to stop all its illegal settlement activities including in the occupied city of Jerusalem and underlined that the Palestinians who were displaced in 1948 have the right to return to their homeland.
BDS movement applauded the decision on its website saying that Liege is the latest city in Europe to end complicity in Israel’s human rights violations and to express meaningful solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle.
“Its move follows the Barcelona mayor’s decision in February to suspend institutional ties with apartheid Israel and the more recent decision by Oslo to exclude companies that directly or indirectly contribute to Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise” BDS said.
“Palestinians applaud the tireless work of Belgian civil society that has made this decision possible. We call on cities worldwide to follow the inspiring examples of Barcelona Oslo and Liege by severing ties with apartheid Israel in support of the Palestinian struggle” BDS added.
