Israel, US condemn Belgium over planned prosecutions tied to Jewish circumcisions

JTA – A diplomatic spat erupted on Wednesday after Belgian prosecutors moved to charge two Jewish men tied to ritual circumcisions, prompting Israeli and United States officials to accuse Belgium of targeting Jews for practising their faith. 

Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, laid into the country in a post on X on Wednesday morning, calling the indictments a “scarlet letter on Belgian society”. 

“With this act Belgium joins a short and shameful list, together with Ireland, of countries that use criminal law to prosecute Jews for practising Judaism,” Sa’ar wrote, later calling circumcision a “cornerstone of Jewish faith” and urging the Belgian government to “act immediately and to find a solution”. 

Sa’ar’s condemnation was quickly joined by the US ambassador to Belgium, Bill White, who had previously called on Belgium to drop the “ridiculous and antisemitic” investigation of mohels in February. 

“This is a shameful stain on Belgium,” White wrote in a post on X. “The prosecution of these religious figures [mohels], one of whom is American, is WRONG and won’t be tolerated. Belgium will be thought of now as antisemitic by the world. Until this is resolved ‒ there is no way around it.” 

White, a President Donald Trump appointee who faced criticism for amplifying social media posts by a far-right Belgian political activist convicted of racism and Holocaust denial, added that the “Trump administration condemns this judicial action” and called on the Belgian government to “work with the Jewish leaders and communities to find a certification solution immediately”. 

The condemnation by White and Sa’ar comes after the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that it intends to prosecute two Jewish men on charges related to performing circumcisions, a practice that is required by law to be performed by licensed medical professionals in Belgium. 

Last year, Belgian authorities raided multiple sites, including two in Antwerp’s Jewish Quarter, at the beginning of an investigation into illegal circumcisions. Investigators also requested lists of children who had recently been circumcised, according to VRT NWS, the Flemish public broadcaster. 

But the sharp criticism by the two leaders was later dismissed by Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, who wrote in reply to White’s post that it was “inappropriate to publicly criticise a country and tarnish its image simply because you disagree with judicial proceedings”. 

“I recall that the proceedings in question were initiated by representatives of the Jewish community themselves,” Prévot said. “To portray those as a country’s desire to undermine the religious freedom of Jews is defamatory. This freedom has never been called into question and never will be in our country. Our Constitution protects it. And it is not for an ambassador to dictate the government’s agenda.” 

In response to Sa’ar’s post, Prévot wrote, “Enough with these caricatures. 

“Since you yourself recently urged against conducting diplomacy via Twitter, I suggest that we discuss all these issues during a meeting in Israel at a time that suits you best, in order to put an end to any misinterpretations,” Prévot said.