US envoy to Belgium demands end to prosecution of Jewish circumcisers

By Gizem Nisa Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White has sparked a diplomatic dispute after demanding that Belgian authorities drop an ongoing prosecution against three Jewish religious circumcisers in Antwerp, prompting a strong rebuke from the government in Brussels.

In a series of posts on the US social media platform X on Monday, White described antisemitism as “unacceptable in any form & it must be rooted out of our society" and called on Belgium to end what he termed a discriminatory legal case.

Addressing Belgian officials directly, he wrote: “Specifically you must drop the ridiculous and anti-Semitic ‘prosecution’ now of the 3 Jewish religious figures (mohels) in Antwerp! They are doing what they have been trained to do for thousands of years.”

The controversy stems from a judicial investigation launched after local police raids in Antwerp on May 14, 2025, targeting several addresses as part of an inquiry into alleged illegal circumcision practices.

-‘America is counting on you to do the right thing’

Authorities said the probe focused on “medical procedures carried out by persons without any medical training” and was initiated following a complaint from within the Jewish community. Three Jewish mohels, religious circumcisers, became the subject of the investigation.

White urged Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke to introduce legal provisions allowing Jewish religious circumcision, stating: “You must make a legal provision to allow Jewish religious mohels to perform their duties here in Belgium.”

He also criticized the minister personally, describing him as “(very rude)” and accusing him of delaying action, adding: “Take action now! The world is watching. America is counting on you to do the right thing.”

“I was told he does not like my great President (Donald Trump),” he added.

In another post the same day, responding to US State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, White wrote: “The case against these mohels must be dropped now and religious circumcision in the Jewish tradition must be permitted under Belgium law. That’s that!”

White also called the special envoy his “favorite Rabbi,” saying, “It may be time for a visit to Belgium!”

White also said he plans to travel to Antwerp next week to meet the mohels and their families, arguing that the case represents “unacceptable harassment of the Jewish community.”

On May 14, 2025, local police in Antwerp, Belgium, conducted raids at several addresses as part of an ongoing judicial investigation into illegal circumcision practices, launching inquiries into three Jewish circumcisers (mohels).

White then called for the investigation to be terminated, arguing that the action constituted antisemitism.

White described Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke as “rude” and maintained that legal arrangements should be introduced to allow Jewish circumcisers to carry out their duties.

In response, Belgian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot stated that White’s remarks were “unacceptable” and announced that the ambassador had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry.

Prevot also criticized White for calling Vandenbroucke “rude,” saying that “personal attacks against a Belgian minister and interference in judicial matters violate fundamental diplomatic norms.”