The Wallonia regional government in Belgium has suspended licenses to export munitions, specifically gunpowder, to Israel after the International Court of Justice ruled against it, the Minister of Housing, Christophe Collignon, announced on Tuesday.

The export licenses had been granted at the beginning of 2023 to the PB Clermont munitions factory, located in Engis (Liège) and were suspended by the Minister-President of Wallonia Elio Di Rupo.

“The January 26 order of the International Court of Justice, the main judicial organ of the United Nations, as well as the unacceptable deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip led the Minister-President to temporarily suspend the valid licenses”, Collignon said.

According to the Belgian news website L’Echo, the announcement came after a question by Hélène Ryckmans, an MP with the Ecolo party, on exports of gunpowder, via Antwerp, to Ashdod, an Israeli port close to the Gaza Strip.

read more: https://www.palestinechronicle.com/belgian-region-follows-japan-no-more-munitions-to-israel/

  • Arelin@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    32
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    5 months ago

    Spain also increased its aid to UNRWA after US and UK stopped funding it, which is interesting.

  • bartolomeo@suppo.fi
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    22
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    5 months ago

    Wow, according to the article Palestinian casualties since Oct 7, 2023 have passed 100k in Gaza alone.

    • streetfestival@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      5 months ago

      (Edit: I was wrong - today I learned after an Oxford dictionary search that casualty includes injury.)

      Tens of thousands have already died in Israel’s ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people, but I haven’t heard anything close to 100k. Here are quotes from the article

      According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 27,585 Palestinians have been killed, and 66,978 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

      Moreover, at least 8,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

  • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    5 months ago

    Way to go, Wallonia! ✊️

    Btw, tiny Belgium has regional (Minister-)Presidents? Definitely not compensating for anything!

    • Floufym@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      5 months ago

      Do no if it a question, but yes. Belgium has regional Minister-présidents.

      3 region, 3 communities, 1 nation : 7 governments (actually 6 because Flemish region and Flemish community has merged). That makes 5 Minister-president and 1 Prime minister.

      Something to compensate, you said ?