Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Monday highlighted Belgium’s antisemitism problem in a public exchange with his Belgian counterpart.
The unusual comments followed a rare condemnation by the U.S. ambassador in Brussels of local authorities’ treatment of three Jewish mohels—men who perform nonmedical circumcision on Jewish infants.
The 316-word post by the ambassador, Bill White, alleged that the ongoing police investigation of the mohels was antisemitic. This prompted Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, who has accused Israel of engaging in a genocide in Gaza, to insist on X that “any suggestion that Belgium is antisemitic is false, offensive, and unacceptable.”
Sa’ar replied to Prévot’s post by listing recent antisemitism data relevant to Belgium. Sa’ar ended the tweet by saying that White’s post was a “mirror” that Prévot finds “unpleasant, but one might want to take this opportunity to take a hard look in that mirror and acknowledge reality.”
In addressing Belgium’s antisemitism problem, Sa’ar noted that “there has been a sharp and consecutive rise in antisemitic attacks in Belgium for more than five years.”
Jews in Belgium, Sa’ar added, “are afraid to wear a kippah in the streets. Two Jewish cemeteries were desecrated. There was an attempt to set fire to a synagogue in Antwerp. Jewish students report constant harassment and discrimination.”
Anti-Defamation League surveys, Sa’ar also wrote, show that “antisemitism in Belgium is two to three times more common than in its neighboring countries.”
The ADL’s Antisemitism Index, which relies on polling, gives Belgium a score of 30, which is the third highest in the Western Europe region. Belgium’s larger neighbors—Germany, the Netherlands and France— have scores of 9, 8 and 13, respectively. Luxembourg is not ranked.
“Suddenly, after thousands of years of Brith Milah being performed, the mohel community is being targeted,” Sa’ar wrote, using the Hebrew-language term for the ritual circumcision of males, which Jews perform on boys eight days after birth.
“Jewish Belgian citizens living in Judea and Samaria are denied consular services, while Belgian Muslims are welcomed,” Sa’ar also noted, referencing a recent controversy.
“Finally, 23 of the 27 E.U. countries have a strategic plan and a designated coordinator to combat antisemitism. Belgium does not,” Sa’ar added.
In the tweet that set off the exchange, White wrote: “To Belgium, specifically, you must drop the ridiculous and antisemitic ‘prosecution’ now of the three Jewish religious figures (mohels) in Antwerp!”
Belgian police searched the homes of several mohels in May. Belgium is among several European countries that have recently outlawed shechita and its Islamic counterpart, dabhiha or zabiha. These religious slaughter methods, which require animals to be conscious at the time of killing, are criticized by animal rights advocates as inhumane.
A similar controversy is playing out around the nonmedical circumcision of boys. However, unlike slaughter without stunning, this practice has not yet been banned in any European country. But a leader of Belgian Jewry, who spoke to JNS anonymously on Monday, said White’s tweet may have been a signal for Belgian lawmakers to refrain from advancing anti-circumcision legislation.
Belgium is one of four E.U. member states that have intervened on behalf of South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel for alleged genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.
In response to White’s tweet, Prévot wrote that “Belgian law permits ritual circumcision when performed by a qualified physician under strict health and safety standards.” Many mohels in Belgium and beyond are not physicians. In Belgium, authorities had not prosecuted mohels prior to last year’s investigation.
“The specific case referenced is subject to a judicial investigation. I refrain from commenting on ongoing proceedings. Labeling Belgium as antisemitic is not just wrong, it’s dangerous disinformation that undermines the real fight against hatred,” Prévot added.
Prévot said White would be “summoned” to the Foreign Ministry for a reprimand. He criticized the part of White’s speech where he excoriated Belgian Health Minister Frank Vanenbroucke for allegedly refusing to shake White’s hand and pose for pictures with him due to a supposed anti-American bias on the part of the Belgian left-wing politician.
“About the statements made by the U.S. Ambassador: They are unacceptable,” Prévot wrote. “An ambassador accredited to Belgium has a responsibility to respect our institutions, our elected representatives, and the independence of our judicial system. Personal attacks against a Belgian minister and interference in judicial matters violate basic diplomatic norms.”
He also wrote that, “Interference in our democratic institutions and false accusations cross a line that cannot be crossed. Respect for sovereignty works both ways.”
White replied on X, denying that his post was a call for the government to interfere with a judicial matter.
“One issue is the case. It should be dropped because of obvious reasons. This prosecution is selective. There are thousands of safe, qualified mohel procedures performed in Belgium regularly. So, why this time, why these three mohels, why in Antwerp, the great Diaspora of beautiful Jewish families here in Belgium, and why this case now. It begs the question. It’s the chicken and the egg story. Which comes first. It is ABSOLUTELY an issue of antisemitism,” wrote White, who doubled down on his original statements.”
Belgium, White added, “must change this procedure and it must also drop the case NOW so these men can have their lives back.” He invited Prévot to join him and visit the three mohels next week in Antwerp.
White responded to Sa’ar’s tweet, thanking him for his support and inviting him to visit the mohels.
“Thank you, Minister and please keep up your great efforts! Come visit me soon please! Let’s go to Antwerp together and visit the mohels. We must end all forms of anti-semitism now,” wrote White.
White then quoted a U.S. ambassador who’s Jewish and an ambassador to an E.U. member state. White wrote that colleague had told him: “We understand Belgium would not ever tolerate someone beating up a Jew for his faith or painting a swastika on a temple. But anti-semitism is so much more—t is dual standards in attitudes b/t Israel and other countries, in regulating customs and practices; in viewing hateful chants at soccer games as ‘good fun.’”
White also quoted Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, as saying: “People who see themselves as non-hateful and are non-hateful can’t see it—but it still exists.”
