Belgium indicts 3 Jewish mohels, sparking diplomatic spat with Israel and US
Criminal charges were filed Wednesday in Belgium against three Jewish circumcisers, sparking a renewed diplomatic spat between
Belgium has laws mandating that all medical procedures must be performed by a licensed doctor.
In May last year, police in Antwerp rounded up the three mohels, suspected of illegally conducting the ritual Jewish circumcisions.
After an extensive investigation, prosecutors on Wednesday decided that they had enough evidence to move forward with an indictment.
In a sharply worded post on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the charges “a scarlet letter on Belgian society.”
“With this act, Belgium joins a short and shameful list, together with Ireland, of countries that use criminal law to prosecute Jews for practicing Judaism,” he wrote.
Belgium’s top diplomat said the accusation was defamatory and that he would be happy to come to Israel to discuss the issue.
“Enough with these caricatures,” Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot wrote on X.
He said Belgium’s judiciary acts independently and without political interference, noting the case was initiated by “representatives of the Jewish community themselves.” He rejected claims that Belgium was undermining Jewish religious freedom, saying such rights are protected by the constitution.
“Since you yourself recently urged against........
