Belgium and Israeli ministers in diplomatic clash over antisemitism claims

A diplomatic row over a Belgian investigation into Jewish ritual circumcisions has widened. Senior Israeli politicians are publicly criticising Belgium, and Foreign minister Maxime Prévot is hitting back.

The dispute began after the US ambassador to Belgium, Bill White, condemned a judicial inquiry in Antwerp into alleged irregularities linked to religious circumcisions. He accused Belgium of antisemitism. This prompted a formal rebuke from Brussels.

Israeli Foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar also joined the debate. In a post on X, he listed what he described as rising antisemitic attacks in Belgium, including vandalised cemeteries and threats against synagogues. He claimed Jews in Belgium are afraid to wear a kippah in public and said the investigation into mohels (men who perform ritual circumcisions) unfairly targets a long-standing religious practice.

Sa’ar also criticised Belgium for suspending consular services to some Belgian citizens living in Israeli settlements, and said the country lacks a proper national strategy to combat antisemitism. He suggested Belgium should “take a hard look in the mirror”.

Israeli minister for Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli went even further. He wrote that “the Islamic Republic of Belgium” was becoming “increasingly unfit for Jewish life” and thanked ambassador White for his stance.

Prévot responded directly to Sa’ar, defending Belgium’s record. He said Belgium is home to one of Europe’s oldest Jewish communities and that the government is committed to protecting it. Jewish schools and synagogues have been under reinforced police protection since 7 October 2023, he noted, and hate crimes are prosecuted under strict laws.

He said a national antisemitism coordinator leads cooperation with Jewish community leaders, and pointed to education programmes, research into online hate speech and mandatory visits to the Kazerne Dossin memorial site for offenders convicted of antisemitic abuse.

On the Antwerp case, Prévot stressed that the investigation was launched following a complaint from within the Jewish community itself and concerns a specific medical practice. He said tens of thousands of ritual circumcisions take place legally in Belgium each year without interference.

Addressing the consular dispute, he said services were suspended for Belgian citizens living in settlements deemed illegal under international law, regardless of religion. He accused some Israeli leaders of wrongly equating Belgium’s foreign policy positions with antisemitism.

^{Maxime Prévot © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK}