Belgium summons US ambassador over accusation of antisemitism
Belgium summoned U.S. Ambassador Bill White after White, a Trump appointee, accused Belgium of tolerating antisemitism, calling the charge offensive and an unfounded personal attack. The clash began on Monday when White described Belgium as becoming a breeding ground for antisemitism,prompting a sharp response from Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot,who saeid the accusation was false and unacceptable and that the ambassador would be summoned for a meeting. The summons followed White’s demand that Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Frank Vandenbroucke end prosecutions of three Mohels who performed brit milah in Antwerp; they were arrested during a raid last May.White claimed the Belgian authorities were harassing the jewish community, while Prevot stressed that the prosecutions are not religiously motivated and that Belgian law allows ritual circumcision under strict health and safety standards. White countered that keeping within the law and condemning antisemitism are not mutually exclusive and said he would visit Antwerp to support the rabbis and their families, while Prevot reiterated Belgium’s openness to dialog but warned that interference in democratic institutions and false accusations cross a line.
Belgium summons US ambassador over ‘offensive’ accusation of antisemitism: ‘Personal attack’
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot summoned U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White on Tuesday for a meeting after the senior American official accused the European nation of tolerating antisemitism.
The diplomatic spat began on Monday when White, an appointee of President Donald Trump, accused Belgium of becoming a breeding ground for antisemitism — accusations Prevot called “offensive” and an “unfounded” personal attack.
“Any suggestion that Belgium is antisemitic is false, offensive, and unacceptable. Belgium condemns antisemitism with the greatest firmness,” Prevot said in an X post. “Personal attacks against a Belgian minister and interference in judicial matters violate basic diplomatic norms. The Ambassador has been immediately summoned for a meeting this Tuesday.”
The summons comes after White demanded that Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Social Affairs Frank Vandenbroucke end the prosecution against three Mohels, Jewish religious figures who perform brit milah, the Jewish ritual circumcision.
The mohels were arrested during a raid last May in Antwerp for performing circumcisions.
During the raid, officers reportedly searched for knives and other equipment used in the procedures, as well as documentation, after a local rabbi complained that the men were also performing metzitzah b’peh, a ritual practice in which the mohel uses oral suction on the circumcision wound.
“THEY ARE DOING WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN TRAINED TO DO FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,” White wrote on X about the mohels’ arrests. “Stop this unacceptable harassment of the Jewish community here in Antwerp and in Belgium. It’s 2026, you need to get into the 21st century and allow our brethren Jewish families in Belgium to legally execute their religious freedoms!”
Prevot said White’s labeling of Belgium as antisemitic “undermines the real fight against hatred,” and the charges against the mohels are not on religious grounds.
“Belgian law permits ritual circumcision when performed by a qualified physician under strict health and safety standards. The specific case referenced is subject to a judicial investigation. I refrain from commenting on ongoing proceedings,” Prevot said.
White responded to the summons and said that following Belgian law and the country’s antisemitic behavior are not mutually exclusive.
“It’s not ok to simply say we ‘follow the law’ and ‘we are not antisemitic’. Both of those things can’t be true in this case,” White said in response to Prevot’s post. “I pray for the three mohels and their families. I will go to Antwerp to meet with them as soon as I can to help them in anyway I can. Would you like to join me please?”
Prevot did not directly respond to White’s Antwerp invitation, but in his initial summons posting, he said Belgium welcomes dialogue.
“Belgium welcomes dialogue with all partners,” he said. “But interference in our democratic institutions and false accusations cross a line that cannot be crossed. Respect for sovereignty works both ways.”
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