Flemish Government Delays Action on Gaza Measures Amidst Coalition Tensions
The Flemish government concluded its meeting late on Friday without reaching an agreement on measures concerning Israel. Minister-president Matthias Diependaele’s cabinet announced that discussions will recommence on Sunday at 14:00, reports 24brussels.
During the lengthy discussions, the core cabinet focused on the Gaza situation and possible responses against Israel. Coalition partners CD&V and Vooruit advocated for a more assertive approach, striving to introduce additional measures at the Flemish level. They proposed a resolution to parliament, though it lacked support from their coalition partner, N-VA.
CD&V and Vooruit aimed to leverage their resolution as a foundation for the talks, but N-VA dismissed this strategy. Diependaele presented an alternative draft that the other parties deemed inadequate. Eventually, the cabinet adopted the minister president’s draft as the starting point, despite ongoing references to the alternative measures proposed by CD&V and Vooruit. The assembled parties encountered numerous sticking points, preventing a final consensus.
We have made good progress today.
Negotiations will continue on Sunday afternoon. A source indicated, “We have made good progress today, but we will continue the discussions on Sunday.”
Meanwhile, the Flemish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee plans to convene again on Tuesday, 2 September, where several resolutions related to Gaza are anticipated to be voted on. Melissa Depraetere, deputy minister president from Vooruit, emphasized that this assembly serves as a crucial ‘deadline’.
Additionally, on the federal level, the Belgian government is scheduled to hold high-level discussions on Monday, 1 September, to evaluate potential national measures concerning the ongoing conflict.
