BRUSSELS (VINnews) — The United States ambassador to Belgium has urged Belgian authorities to abandon criminal proceedings against three Jewish ritual circumcisers charged with practicing medicine without a license, arguing the case threatens religious freedom.

Ambassador Bill White publicly called on Belgian officials to end what he described as unjust prosecutions following police raids last year in Antwerp’s Jewish community. Officers searched several properties and detained mohels — men trained to perform the Jewish circumcision ritual known as brit milah — as part of an investigation into unlicensed medical activity.

Anti Semitism is UNACCEPTABLE in any form & it must be rooted out of our society.

President TRUMP @POTUS @realDonaldTrump @JDVance @VP @SecRubio @StateSEAS @DeputySecState and I call upon all of Belgium to do a much better job on this subject !

TO BELGIUM,

SPECIFICALLY YOU…

— Ambassador Bill White (@BillWhiteUSA) February 16, 2026

Belgian law requires medical procedures to be carried out by licensed physicians. Prosecutors have since moved forward with charges against three individuals, maintaining that sufficient evidence exists to pursue convictions. No trial date has been announced.

White said the case unfairly targets a longstanding religious practice and indicated he plans to meet with the accused in Antwerp. He also called on Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke to engage in dialogue with Jewish leaders.

The issue has drawn attention beyond Belgium. Members of the European Commission, including Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, are said to be exploring possible solutions as discussions continue between government officials and representatives of the Jewish community.

Belgian lawmaker Michael Freilich, the country’s only Orthodox Jewish member of parliament, has said the legal framework governing religious circumcision lacks clarity and called for regulatory reform rather than criminal enforcement.

The controversy unfolds amid heightened concerns among Belgium’s Jewish community about antisemitism and religious rights in Europe. Belgian authorities have not publicly commented on the ambassador’s statements.