Wallonia addresses loophole and bans all arms transit to Israel

Wallonia, one of the three regions of Belgium, has decided to ban all forms of arms transit to Israel. This decision has been confirmed by the cabinet of Walloon Minister-President Elio Di Rupo (PS) to Belgian television outlet RTBF and newspaper Le Soir. Di Rupo has signed a ministerial decree that closes a loophole in Walloon legislation.

Last week, an investigation by RTBF, Le Soir, and newspaper De Morgen revealed that more than 70 tons of ammunition and explosives have passed through Liege Airport to Israel since the beginning of the war in Gaza.

“It involves military material sent from the United States to Israel via the Israeli-American airline group Challenge Airlines,” explains Wies De Graeve of Amnesty International. Due to a loophole in the legislation, these cargo planes could make a stopover at Walloon airports without needing permits for arms transport.

“In Walloon legislation, it was stated that you do not need a permit to make a stopover during an arms delivery, as long as the military material is not transshipped at the airport,” De Graeve clarifies.

As early as last November, it was revealed that deliveries to the Israeli army were taking place via Liège. In response to the war in Gaza, Federal Minister of Mobility Gilkinet (Ecolo) then called on all governments in our country to exercise the utmost caution, “so that the Belgian state does not become complicit in a war.”