Belgium’s coalition government is divided over allowing 13 Palestinian students from Gaza to travel to Belgium to take up university scholarships, with a political dispute over migration policy holding up a proposed compromise.
Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot had reached an agreement with Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt under which the students would not be able to use their arrival in Belgium as grounds to seek asylum or apply for family reunification. The deal also included a task force to explore ways of speeding up the return of people residing illegally in Belgium.
However, the French-speaking liberal party Reformist Movement (MR) reportedly refused to support the compromise, blocking its approval by the government’s core Cabinet.
Prévot condemned the obstruction, calling it “a human disgrace and politically regrettable”. He warned that the futures of the 13 young people, who had been awarded scholarships to continue their studies at Belgian universities, should not be used as “a bargaining chip” in migration negotiations.
The dispute comes as the students remain unable to leave Gaza to begin their studies. Despite receiving university offers, they face a political deadlock in Belgium over the arrangements needed to bring them to the country. The decision leaves the 13 students stranded in Gaza while Israeli airstrikes and military operations are ongoing, as Israel’s war continues to devastate civilian life.
