JERUSALEM (VINnews) For the first time, the Belgian Consulate General in Jerusalem has refused to issue a new passport to a Belgian-Israeli citizen solely because she lives in the Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood of Jerusalem. The consulate explained that the neighborhood is not recognized under the international law to which Belgium says it is bound. The woman involved said: “I felt shocked.”

The applicant seeking to renew her passport is Annabelle Herziger-Tanzer, daughter of Auschwitz survivor Sam Herziger, a Belgian citizen and well-known artist whose works are displayed in museums around the world, including in the Belgian port city of Antwerp.

Annabelle’s Belgian passport, which expired about a month ago, had previously always been renewed through the Belgian consulate in Jerusalem. After immigrating to Israel from Belgium in 1980, she routinely used the consulate’s services. This time, however, she received a refusal.

The email from the consulate stated: “Madame Herziger, after reviewing our population registry records, we discovered that you have settled in a colony that is not recognized under international law, to which Belgium is committed. Therefore, you could not be registered at this address in the consular population records of the Belgian Consulate General in Jerusalem.”

The message added that if she moves in the future to an address in a “recognized” locality, she could provide supporting documents so that her details may be updated. She was also informed that she could appeal the decision within 60 days.

Annabelle said: “I felt as if they spat in my face, as if I were a second-class person. I’m a member of the Israel-Belgium friendship association, but I’m no longer proud to be Belgian. It awakens second-generation Holocaust trauma in me. I always felt both Israeli and Belgian, with great love for my first homeland. If my surname were Awad and I lived in Pisgat Ze’ev, I would not be treated this way.”

She also recalled that several years ago she received voting materials for Belgian elections, and the accompanying letter from the consulate referred to “Pisgat Ze’ev, Palestinian territory.” She immediately contacted them to say this was incorrect.

“They later sent an apology mentioning only ‘Jerusalem, Pisgat Ze’ev.’ Now Belgium doesn’t want me,” she said.

Her husband, social activist Alex Tanzer, sent an urgent letter to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, writing: “Where is the State of Israel? The Foreign Ministry should immediately summon the Belgian ambassador for a reprimand. This is the only country in the world carrying out selection between Jews and non-Jews.”

According to the report, the policy change stems from a decision by authorities in Brussels not to provide consular services to Belgian citizens living in Israeli settlements. The policy reportedly includes services such as passport issuance and renewal, as well as marriage registration.

The consulate’s response is said to be a direct result of a Belgian government decision from September 2025 concerning recognition of a Palestinian state. Belgium conditioned such recognition on Hamas not participating in a future Palestinian governing structure, meaning the recognition itself did not formally take effect.

However, the decision also included additional measures, among them a ban on Israeli military flights over Belgium, sanctions against Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, as well as the restriction of consular services for Belgian citizens living in areas Belgium considers settlements. According to the article, Belgium began implementing the policy this year.