Diplomatic War: US Ambassador Rebukes Belgium Over Antwerp Rabbi Prosecution
The United States has launched a fierce diplomatic offensive against Belgium, labeling the prosecution of three religious leaders in Antwerp as an impudent attack on religious freedom.
A major diplomatic war over religious freedom has erupted between Washington and Brussels, as the United States government issued a scathing rebuke of Belgium’s decision to prosecute three mohalim in Antwerp. US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White, acting with the explicit backing of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, has characterized the legal proceedings as a frontal battle for the rights of the Jewish community. The confrontation reached a boiling point following reports of midnight police raids on the homes of senior rabbis, an action the American administration has termed an anti-Semitic and ridiculous lawsuit. This escalation marks one of the most significant public rifts between the two allies in recent years, with the US demanding that Belgium immediately settle the legal status of religious circumcision and cease what it describes as unacceptable harassment.
A Frontal Battle for Rights
The dispute centers on the criminal prosecution of three prominent religious leaders in Antwerp, whose families were reportedly terrified by late night police interventions. Ambassador White took to social media to address Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke directly, urging him to move forward to the 21st century and end the trial. "We are in 2026," the Ambassador stated, calling the Minister’s conduct particularly impudent. The American delegation has dismissed the Belgian government's reliance on slow moving legal proceedings, calling it an evasive tactic and demanding immediate executive action to protect those performing the ancient rite of Bris Milah.
Tensions were further inflamed during a recent official meeting where Vandenbroucke reportedly refused to shake hands with the American representative or participate in traditional joint photographs. In response, the US statement reminded the Minister of the historical debt owed to the United States, pointing out that tens of thousands of American soldiers gave their lives on Belgian soil during two World Wars to secure the nation's freedom. "It is clear you don’t like America," the message noted, emphasizing that Belgium has a moral obligation to act as a civilized country that respects the fundamental right to practice one's faith without fear of state intervention.
Show of Solidarity
The diplomatic pressure is set to intensify next week as Ambassador White announced plans to travel to Antwerp personally. The visit is intended as a high profile show of solidarity with the prosecuted mohalim and their families. In a move designed to highlight the human cost of the Belgian policies, White publicly invited Minister Vandenbroucke and politician Conner Rousseau to join him on the trip. The Ambassador challenged them to look at the distress their inaction has caused, concluding that the treatment of these religious families is simply disgusting. As the US administration continues to champion religious liberty as a cornerstone of its foreign policy, the outcome of this Belgian standoff is being watched closely by religious communities across Europe who fear that their own traditions may be the next targets of secular prosecution.