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.”
Source:
www.politico.eu