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Key Points
- Belgium will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly.
- Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot made the announcement on Tuesday.
- Australia will take the same step of recognition at the United Nations General Assembly.
The move is a response to the humanitarian crisis in Palestine, notably in Gaza, and is a reaction to the violence Israel has exerted, allegedly violating international law, according to Prevot.
The Palestinians have long envisioned a state within the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The United States maintains that such a state should emerge from direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
The US announced on Friday it would prevent Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas from attending the United Nations summit in New York in September, where many US allies plan to formally recognise Palestinian statehood.
Possible annexation of West Bank in retaliation
According to a report by Reuters citing three Israeli officials in August, Israel is contemplating annexing parts of the occupied West Bank as a potential response to France and other nations acknowledging a Palestinian state.