Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Belgium are under renewed pressure after Donald Trump’s envoy lashed out over plans to prosecute two Jewish men who perform ritual circumcisions.
“This is a shameful stain on Belgium,” U.S. Ambassador Bill White wrote Wednesday on X, adding that the country would now be considered antisemitic by the world.
“The Trump Administration condemns this judicial action,” White added, slamming what he described as “political inaction” by the Belgian government to find a solution.
The U.S. ambassador’s comments echo remarks on X earlier Wednesday from Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who described the situation as “a scarlet letter on Belgian society.”
The U.S.-Israeli fury comes after the Antwerp prosecutor confirmed it recommended two mohalim be prosecuted following investigations into alleged illegal circumcisions, which must be carried out by a medical professional according to Belgian law.
Belgium’s foreign affairs minister immediately hit back at the criticism.
“I urge you to exercise greater restraint and to view your role in its proper context,” Maxime Prévot wrote on X, responding to White. “It is inappropriate to publicly criticize a country and tarnish its image simply because you disagree with judicial proceedings. I have already told you this.”
The minister added it was “defamatory” to represent the legal proceedings as a push to undermine religious freedom, noting that they had been initiated by “representatives of the Jewish community themselves.”
He also invited Sa’ar to a meeting “to put an end to any misinterpretations” on the matter, “since you yourself recently urged against conducting diplomacy via Twitter.”
The back-and-forth further strains diplomatic relations between Belgium and the U.S., which were already frayed earlier this year when the ambassador’s criticism of the same investigation led to an outcry over U.S. interference in Belgium’s legal system.
The Antwerp prosecutor confirmed to POLITICO that it “considers there to be sufficient evidence to request” that two men be referred to the criminal court. They would be charged with intentional assault or battery against minors and the unlawful practice of medicine.
A panel will decide in June whether the case should in fact be sent to trial.
