Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, August 31, 2023
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, August 31, 2023
Israel summons Belgian envoy after minister claimed Israel ‘wiping entire villages off the map’
Belgian Development Cooperation Minister Caroline Gennez in 2023 (Screenshot: YouTube; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Israel has summoned Belgium’s ambassador for a dressing-down after a Belgian minister claimed Israel was destroying entire Palestinian villages.
Israeli Ambassador Idit Rosenzweig-Abu also sent a protest letter to the Belgium foreign ministry and Development Cooperation Minister Caroline Gennez, calling the latter’s comments “libelous and defamatory.”
In an interview with Flemish daily De Morgen, Gennez claimed, “in the occupied Palestinian territories, for example, the situation is becoming unsustainable. Entire villages are being wiped off the map by the Israelis. The periods of escalating violence are shorter than before, but more frequent and more intense.”
