Antisemitism and Religious Freedom

Belgium’s government summoned U.S. Ambassador Bill White for consultations after he publicly accused the country of antisemitism over a criminal investigation into three Jewish religious circumcisers in Antwerp. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot called White’s claims "dangerous disinformation," insisted Belgium "condemns antisemitism with the greatest firmness," and said the country’s law permits ritual circumcision only when performed by a qualified physician under strict health and safety standards. Authorities are probing three mohels for allegedly performing circumcisions without the required medical training, after police searched their homes in May, while White has labeled the case "unacceptable harassment" of the Jewish community and demanded a legal change to let mohels practice without medical credentials. The unusually sharp exchange, conducted largely on X, pits a U.S. envoy’s broad appeal to religious freedom against an EU ally’s medical‑regulation framework and judicial independence, and Belgian officials warn that casually branding the country antisemitic undermines real efforts to fight hatred. For Washington, the flap highlights how an ambassador’s public rhetoric can strain ties with a close partner and complicate U.S. messaging on antisemitism and religious rights in Europe.