US and Israel condemn Belgian circumcision prosecution as court date set
The United States and Israel have sharply criticised Belgium after prosecutors in Antwerp sought a trial over circumcision cases involving two men accused of operating without the required medical licence.
The Antwerp Public Prosecutor's Office said the men should face trial for what it described as intentional assault or battery with premeditation against minors.
Antwerp's Chamber of Indictments is due to decide on 18 June whether the case will proceed.
The dispute escalated after the US ambassador to Belgium, Bill White, and Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar both issued public condemnations on X on Wednesday.
White said the prosecution of the religious figures was wrong and would not be tolerated, while Sa'ar called it a scarlet letter on Belgian society.
The case has drawn in diplomatic and religious groups because it touches on Belgium's handling of circumcision and the legal status of those carrying it out.
The Brussels-based European Jewish Congress has already criticised the proceedings, and the row has become a wider political issue between Brussels, Washington and Jerusalem.
Belgian police first raided homes in Antwerp in May 2025, and the matter became a diplomatic incident in February when White accused Belgium of conducting an anti-Semitic prosecution.
Belgium later issued a formal rebuke to the United States.
