5 days ago
Belgian govt distances itself from staffer who ‘put up anti-Netanyahu posters' near embassy in Delhi
AWEX is the public service in Belgium's Wallonia region. It is in charge of attracting foreign investment to the region and also helps companies currently operating in the region to export their products.
'Since this matter primarily concerns the Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX), for whom the person concerned works, we refer to them for more information,' a Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said to ThePrint.
New Delhi: The Belgian government Thursday distanced itself from a staffer at its embassy here who was allegedly involved in putting up posters against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in relation to the conflict in Gaza, in the Chanakyapuri area.
On Tuesday, the Delhi Police said an AWEX staff member at the embassy was allegedly behind putting up 'wanted' posters of Netanyahu in the high-security diplomatic area. The incident is said to have occurred last week, with at least two posters seen on electricity poles, according to reports.
The incident was being investigated by the relevant local authorities. According to reports, an individual wearing a blue shirt and black trousers was allegedly spotted putting up the posters in the early hours of Tuesday morning. From CCTV recordings, Delhi Police identified the individual and confirmed his employment at the Belgian mission.
A person familiar with the matter said that the issue has not been officially raised with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yet. The ministry can only take action after it has been officially informed of a case.
The embassy in New Delhi has representatives from two regions in Belgium—Flanders and Wallonia. The country has three regions in all, the third being Brussels, the capital.
Wallonia is the French-speaking region located in the southern part of the European nation. In 2015, India was the thirteenth largest export destination for goods manufactured in the region.
Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern region of Belgium, also has an Investment and Trade Commissioner appointed to the embassy in New Delhi.
Over the years, India has become an important partner for engagement in trade for Belgium. In March this year, Princess Astrid, the younger sister of the current monarch, King Philippe, led a high-level economic delegation to India for a week. She met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and they agreed to cooperate across emerging and high-impact sectors and to 'deepen' the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
The Belgian delegation also met with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnav.
Brussels condemned Israel's conduct in the current conflict in Gaza and has pushed for the resumption of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory. In April, Belgium's permanent representative to the United Nations Sophie De Smedt declared that Israel must not weaponise aid during the conflict.
More than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its 18-month operation following Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack that left more than 1,000 Israelis dead. At least 250 individuals were also taken hostage. Since then, while Hamas has released dozens of hostages as part of deals between the two sides, others have been retrieved by Israeli forces. According to reports, 56 hostages still remain in Gaza.
A fresh ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, potentially including hostage exchanges, is currently under discussion.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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