Belgium will no longer cooperate with the Palestinian Ministry of Education while Palestinian schools bear the names of terrorists, Belgian Minister of Cooperation Alexander De Croo confirmed on Friday. Budgets allocated for the construction of schools will be suspended but Belgium will remain active in the Palestinian Territories and will continue to contribute to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA).

Last year, the name of a school whose construction was financed by Belgium was changed to that of Dalal Mughrabi, a Palestinian terrorist who participated in 1978 in a hostage-taking operation in a bus that claimed the lives of 38 Israelis, including 13 children.

The Belgian Government tried to get the Palestinian authorities to cancel the name-change, but was unsuccessful and the terrorist’s name was even given to two more schools which, however, are not supported by Belgium.

Cooperation continues to be pursued in other areas such as improving human rights, private sector development and digital entrepreneurship.

Andy Sanchez

The Brussels Times