Belgium’s Mixed Message to the PA: Funding Cuts and Diplomatic Rewards

Belgium publicly slaps the PA with one hand over its glorification of terrorists but caresses it with the other, upgrading its diplomatic status in Brussels.

By: Palestinian Media Watch via JNS

Belgium has announced that it has “enhanced” the diplomatic status of the PLO representation in Brussels. Formerly only granting diplomatic status to the head of mission, Belgium has now granted this to an additional PLO representative.

In addition, the foreign ministers of the PA and Belgium have announced that they are expanding an existing agreement to include, among other things, “support for Palestinian schools in East Jerusalem,” the Waffa Palestinian official news agency reported.

However, these gifts to the PA contradict Belgium’s policy statements.

Belgium recently condemned the PA and stopped all collaboration with the PA Ministry of Education after Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) exposed that the Palestinian Authority was determined to continue naming schools after terrorist murderer Dalal Mughrabi.

At best, this is poor administration by Belgium; at worst, it is willful blindness.

Belgium was outraged at the PA last year when PMW documented that the PA had used Belgium’s financial support for the PA’s education sector to build a school it later named after terrorist murderer Dalal Mughrabi. Following PMW’s exposure of the school, Belgium condemned the actions by the PA and “put on hold any projects related to the construction or equipment of Palestinian schools”.

However, the PA ignored Belgium’s demands, and the school continued to be named after the terrorist. When Belgium reiterated its disapproval of the name, the PA renamed the school Belgium had funded but mocked Belgium by simultaneously naming to two other schools Belgium hasn’t funded after the same terrorist!