Israel and Belgium are in the midst of an intense diplomatic row following a string of hostile measures spearheaded by the European country against Israel at the United Nations Security Council.
Ambassador Alon Bar, Deputy Director-General for the United Nations and International Organizations at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, summoned Belgian Deputy Ambassador to Israel Pascal Buffin to express outrage over the his country's "unprecedented" actions.
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Most recently, Belgium, which is presiding over the UNSC for the month of February, invited Brad Parker, Senior Adviser for Policy and Advocacy for Defense for Children – Palestine to brief the council.
DCI-P calls itself an organization defending the human rights of Palestinian children. It alleges Israel is committing war crimes by "torturing children" and supports the boycott, divest and sanctions movement. The organization has numerous ties with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a designated terrorist group in the US, EU, Canada and Israel, to the extent that Citibank and Arab Bank stopped providing banking services to the NGO.
Parker has also called for senior Israelis to face trial at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
Bar told Buffin that if Belgium is inviting someone such as Parker to address the UNSC, then it apparently shares his views.
According to the Foreign Ministry, this was not the first time Belgium has tried harming Israel at the Security Council. A year ago, the Belgians sought to introduce a resolution condemning Israel for the events in which 50 Palestinians were killed during riots over the inauguration of the US Embassy in Jerusalem. On other occasions, the country has welcomed radical anti-Israel figures to address the Security Council.
Israel Hayom has learned that in private discussions with Belgian officials, Israel's Ambassador to Belgium, Emmanuel Nahshon, asked that Parker's appearance at the UNSC be canceled, but was rebuffed.
Yinam Cohen, the director of the UN Political Affairs Department at the Foreign Ministry, told Israel Hayom: "It appears Belgium is making an effort to position itself as the most hostile country to Israel at the UNSC, and Parker's invitation is an all-time low in terms of this conduct."
Another Israeli diplomat said, "Our expectations of the Belgians are low to begin with, but this time even we're surprised."
In the wake of Parker's invitation, Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon wrote a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres calling DCI-P "an arm of the PFLP in order to enact diplomatic terror against Israel… A place that promotes peace and security in the world has no room for people like Parker."
Additionally, Israel's delegation to the UN intends to present intelligence information about DCI-P members' connections to terrorist activity.
Danon said that "Belgium is continuing to adopt an anti-Israel line in the UN, but must know that it will have a price. Israel's denigrators will enter a battle they weren't looking for."
