Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever has pushed back forcefully against criticism from U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White, who accused the country of being antisemitic.
White had reacted strongly to an Antwerp prosecutor’s recommendation that two Jewish men be prosecuted following an investigation into alleged illegal circumcisions. Several Belgian politicians have reproached White for getting involved in Belgian domestic affairs.
“Belgium is not an antisemitic state, this is nonsense,” De Wever told VRT News on Wednesday. “A diplomat must decide how he fulfills his task, but I think this does not contribute much.”
On Wednesday morning, White slammed the Antwerp prosecutor’s recommendation that the two mohalim be prosecuted as “shameful,” adding: “Belgium will be thought of now as anti Semitic by world. Until this is resolved – there is no way around it.”
“The Trump Administration condemns this judicial action and also condemns the political inaction by the Belgium Government to find a solution with the beautiful Jewish communities here in Belgium,” he wrote on X.
De Wever, of the center-right New Flemish Alliance, defended the prosecutor’s decision. “Circumcision is essential for the Jewish faith and Islam, but so are the quality standards of our legislation. You have to reconcile the two. What you shouldn’t do is create a whole societal controversy around it with harsh statements about antisemitism. That contributes nothing at all,” he added.
Belgium’s centrist Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot earlier on Wednesday called White’s remarks “inappropriate” and asked: “Would you consider it acceptable for our ambassador in Washington to do the same?”
Prévot emphasized the independence of Belgium’s judiciary, while De Wever said that “legislation obviously stands above any religion and above any worldview or ideology.”
De Wever’s predecessor Elio Di Rupo, now a member of European Parliament for the center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, also reacted strongly.
“Your interference in Belgian affairs and your statements are unacceptable,” he said, addressing the ambassador. “If an ambassador had made such statements during my tenure as head of the Belgian government, I would have declared you persona non grata.”
White had been summoned over remarks on the same issue late February. Asked whether the ambassador should be summoned again, De Wever said: “I think our foreign minister has given a response.”
U.S. President Donald Trump appointed businessman White in December 2024. White was a major donor to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.