King Philippe received the mission letters from the new head of the Palestinian representation in Belgium. This symbolic ceremony with the Belgian head of state is a first in the history of diplomatic relations between Belgium and Palestine. Belgium does not yet recognize the State of Palestine.
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King Philippe receives mission letters from the head of Palestinian representation in Belgium
In 2024, Norway, Ireland, Slovenia and Spain recognized the State of Palestine. A few months ago, the Belgian government confirmed that it was still too early to follow suit. This Tuesday, November 26, 2024, Palestine had to be content with sending its new representative to the King of the Belgians. This visit is still a first in diplomatic relations between Belgium and Palestine.
All new ambassadors must present their credentials at the start of their mission. Letters of credence are written by a head of state and are hand-delivered to the head of state who will welcome a foreign ambassador to his country. In these letters, the head of state asks his counterpart to recognize the ambassador as the highest representative of his country. The new ambassador plays the messenger and hands over his credentials during a ceremony.
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This Tuesday, Amal Jadou Shakaa did not really submit her credentials, Palestine not being recognized as a state by Belgium. The Royal Palace of Brussels makes it clear that these are “mission letters” and not letters of credence. Indeed, Amal Jadou Shakaa, called ambassador by her country, is not recognized as such in Belgium but as head of the Palestinian representation. The credentials presentation ceremony takes place according to a specific protocol. King Philippe wears his gala uniform as well as all of his honorary and military insignia, including the amaranth ribbon of the Order of Leopold. During this symbolic ceremony, King Philippe wore a business suit with a tie.
Last May, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hadja Labib, justified to the VRT the government’s decision not yet to recognize the Palestinian state. “This recognition must be more than symbolic”assured the minister, after a meeting on the subject with her government colleagues. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, for his part, had specified that he wanted “favor measures which immediately lead to an improvement in the situation on the ground”.
Within the State of Palestine, recognized by 143 countries of the 193 member states of the UN, Amal Jadou Shakaa served as undersecretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. She is also the representative of Palestine to the European institutions. The Palestinian representative office in Brussels is one of 106 Palestinian diplomatic and consular representations in the world. Belgium currently maintains neither an embassy nor a consulate in Palestine.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
