An activist waves the Palestinian flag at the port of Barcelona as a boat carrying activists departs to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza. (AFP)

Belgium joining the list of Western countries planning to recognize the State of Palestine on the sidelines of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York sends another worrying message to Israel. This move is linked to other international efforts to pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza and to prevent the annexation of the West Bank.

Until August, Belgium had been hesitant to follow France, Britain, Canada, Australia, Portugal, and Malta in recognizing Palestine. This change in stance reflects a sense of despair over the possibility of a positive development in Gaza in the near future.

Amid worsening humanitarian conditions, widespread hunger, and Israeli preparations to occupy Gaza City, these events have drawn wide attention within the European Union. The EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Copenhagen on Saturday revealed a sharp division over the Israeli war, with some calling for strong economic pressure on Tel Aviv, while others strongly opposed such measures.

The Belgian decision, accompanied by a package of sanctions against Israel, coincided with the departure of the “Global Steadfastness Fleet” from Barcelona towards Gaza. The fleet includes more than 13 ships loaded with humanitarian and medical aid in a new attempt to break the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, while Israel vowed to intercept and prevent the fleet from reaching its destination.

The European movement faces harsh criticism from the United States, which argues that recognizing Palestine rewards Hamas, clearly adopting the Israeli viewpoint. However, former President Donald Trump’s statement to the Daily Caller on Monday should be noted. He said, “The ongoing war in Gaza harms Israel,” adding, “It wins battles on the ground but does not win in public relations, which harms it,” highlighting that Israeli lobby groups are losing influence in Congress.

He specifically mentioned that the younger generation in the Republican Party and the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement are more skeptical about U.S. support for Israel.

Trump’s remarks directly relate to a report published last week by the National Security Research Institute at Tel Aviv University, which confirmed declining support for Israel among Democratic voters as well as within the Republican Party, concluding that Israel’s status in the United States is facing an unprecedented crisis due to the war on Gaza.

Even inside Israel, reports of a growing crisis between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chief of Staff General Eyal Zamir are mounting, related to the political decision to occupy Gaza City.

An Israeli “Ynet” report revealed that Zamir warned during a meeting of the small ministerial security and political cabinet on Sunday that the plan to control Gaza City would lead to an Israeli military government administering the territory, similar to the situation after the 1967 war. He accused the political leadership of not preparing any alternative for the post-war phase.

In contrast, Netanyahu ignored Zamir’s warnings to the extent that he refused to discuss Hamas’s possible agreement to a partial ceasefire deal that would release ten Israeli prisoners out of 20 believed to still be alive.

What are the expected Israeli responses to international pressure and the wave of anticipated recognitions of the State of Palestine?