BRUSSELS

The president of Belgium's Socialist Party (PS), Paul Magnette, called for the immediate recognition of the State of Palestine, warning that continued hesitation would undermine the country's credibility on human rights and international law.

In a letter addressed to the leaders of Belgian political parties, Magnette argued that recognition of a Palestinian state must be seen as "the starting point of any credible peace solution, not the end point," the Belga news agency reported on Sunday.

"To refuse today is to validate the double standards that so many people denounce. It is to weaken the credibility of our word on Ukraine, on human rights, on international law," he said.

"To recognize the State of Palestine is to say that the law is not negotiable. It applies to Kyiv as it does to Gaza, to Israel as it does to Palestine," he added, describing recognition as a "strong diplomatic gesture" that sets a moral boundary and rebalances diplomatic power.

Magnette also announced that the PS would introduce a new motion in the federal parliament calling for the recognition of Palestine and invited both majority and opposition parties to support it "in a spirit of transpartisanship" to achieve what he called a "moral leap forward."

Meanwhile, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced on July 25 that he would present a proposal to the federal government in September, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly.

Discussions over recognition of Palestine gained momentum once again after France announced that it would formally recognize Palestine during the UN General Assembly week in September. To date, 147 of the 193 UN member states have officially recognized Palestine.