Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a reprimand of the Belgian Ambassador after a meeting between Belgium’s PM and leaders of two Israeli human rights groups accusing the Israeli army of abuse in occupied Palestinian territories.
“The Belgian government needs to decide whether it wants to change direction or continue with an anti-Israel line,” Netanyahu’s office warned in a statement Wednesday, referring to Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel’s decision to hold a meeting with heads of B’tselem and Breaking the Silence right groups during his three-day official visit to the Zionist entity.
The Belgian ambassador, Olivier Belle, is set to be summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
Both human rights groups are known for uncovering cases of abuse of power by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinians, such as random shootings of civilians.
While criticizing Michel for meeting human rights activists, the Israeli PM’s office also pointed to another “unfriendly” gesture by Belgium, which had opened an investigation into war crimes during the Israeli war on Gaza in late December 2008 and early January 2009 known as Operation Cast Lead.
Last month, the Zionist Union’s Tzipi Livni, who was foreign minister at the time of the operation, canceled a visit to Brussels after the Belgian prosecutor’s office announced it wanted to question her.
The Belgian PM met with NGO leaders just a day after a meeting with Netanyahu himself, during which the right-wing Israeli leader asked his Belgian counterpart to withdraw support from Israeli groups “that act against Israeli soldiers and the State of Israel, including transferring funds indirectly,” the statement read, without providing any names.
Source: RT
