Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot wrote on his X social network on Tuesday that Belgium would grant the formal recognition to Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly session, along with call for severe sanctions on Israel.

He said that the decision was taken “in light of the humanitarian catastrophe in Palestine, especially in Gaza and Israel’s non-compliance with international law,” adding that Belgium’s responsibility is to prevent “the risk of genocide” by increasing pressure on the Israeli regime.

The top Belgian diplomat clarified that sanctions, including a ban on products from Israeli settlements and placing two extremist Israeli ministers and several settlers on the list of “undesirable elements” are among other measures that Belgium is considering.

So far, 147 of the 193 member states of the United Nations have recognized Palestine as a sovereign state. Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and Norway joined the list last year.

Recently, French President Emmanuel Macron also announced that he would soon recognize the Palestinian statehood after other European leaders took steps to pile up pressure on the Israeli regime to stop the genocidal war on Gaza.

Australia, Canada, Finland, New Zealand, Portugal, Andorra, Malta, San Marino, and Luxembourg have announced their determination to recognize Palestine, as well.