US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White has doubled down on his demand that Belgian authorities drop an investigation into Jewish ritual circumcision, insisting the case is “a waste of the judiciary’s time” and warning that inaction will be seen as antisemitic.
Speaking to The Brussels Times at his official residence, White argued bluntly that prosecutors should abandon the case involving three mohels – Jewish men trained in ritual male circumcision – who are suspected of carrying out the procedure without required medical supervision, saying: “Drop the damn case.”
White's remarks are likely to deepen concerns in Brussels about an American envoy wading forcefully into domestic legal matters.
Police raids in Antwerp
The investigation stems from police searches in Antwerp last year into whether circumcisions were performed without a doctor, as Belgian law requires. It was reportedly sparked by a complaint that some mohels were performing metzitzah b’peh, a ritual in which they orally suck the blood from the penis during circumcision. Quite apart from the ethical issues, there are medical concerns: the herpes virus can be transferred during such rites.
White nonetheless defended the practice. “There is a modern-day version of this with the straw. And for centuries, saliva was a disinfectant,” he said. “I'm okay with however the rabbis do it in every other civilised country, right?”
He went further and questioned the timing of the investigation. “Why are they doing this case now? There's thousands of these a year.”
“This is a waste of the judiciary's time,” he added. “These mohels have been doing this for thousands of years.”
'Not doing anything will be perceived as antisemitic'
White also framed the issue less as a legal question than as one of religious freedom, repeatedly suggesting Belgian authorities should act – or risk reputational damage. “The action of inaction is perceived as antisemitic,” he said, while stressing that Belgium itself is “not antisemitic”.
His comments reflect a broader approach to his role in which he has publicly called the prosecution “ridiculous and antisemitic” and urged Belgium to change its procedures to accommodate religious practitioners.
On Monday, White launched an extraordinary social media attack on Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, calling on him to intervene and demanding that Belgium do "a much better job" on the issue of antisemitism.
He continued to criticise Vandenbroucke during the interview. “There's a lot of mistrust there, I think, between the minister and the Jewish community about what he's willing to do, and what they think he should do and that the government should do,” he said.
“The fact that the minister of health has told me he won't do anything is a problem. Not doing anything will be perceived as antisemitic.”
White insisted he was not asking ministers to interfere directly with the judiciary, yet repeatedly urged political action – including regulatory changes – that could effectively render the case moot. “Belgium will have a decision to make,” he said, adding that “the world’s watching.”
He suggested Belgium should follow models in countries such as Germany or Austria that allow certified religious circumcisers to operate, and floated ideas ranging from paramedic supervision to new accreditation systems.
US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White shows an image of a ritual circumcision, as he talks to the press as he arrives for a meeting at the offices of the Foreign Affairs department of the Federal Government in Brussels, Tuesday 17 February 2026. Credit: Belga
Meddling in domestic matters?
Critics in Belgium, however, argue that such proposals – delivered publicly and in combative language – amount to pressure on a sovereign legal process.
The ambassador has already been summoned to the Foreign Ministry, which stressed that dialogue must respect Belgian institutions and judicial independence. Several political leaders have said foreign diplomats should not intervene in ongoing cases, underscoring sensitivities about perceived external influence.
White’s approach has reinforced perceptions of a more confrontational diplomatic style aligned with President Donald Trump, whose campaign he supported financially and politically.
That tone has been evident in the circumcision dispute, where White has publicly criticised Belgian ministers and suggested the country needs to “get into the 21st century” on religious freedom.
While Jewish organisations have expressed concern about restrictions on religious practices, Belgian authorities maintain that circumcision remains legal when performed under proper medical conditions, and that the investigation concerns compliance with health regulations rather than religion.
White dismissed questions about whether an ambassador should weigh in on domestic law, claiming that “the whole world meddles in America’s business, 24/7”. He went on to argue that "Belgium has asked us to change our laws all the time", without citing any examples of this interference.
The ambassador added that he feels "morally obliged" to support religious freedom, stating it was an "issue of character and integrity and standing up for something".
Dispute with Conner Rousseau
White has also lashed out against Flemish socialist (Vooruit) leader Conner Rousseau, who had previously compared the Trump administration’s deportation tactics to Adolf Hitler’s measures in Nazi Germany.
After urging the Belgian government to condemn the comments, and suggesting he could be banned from entering the US, Rousseau himself released a statement saying the ambassador "shouldn’t interfere with our legal process".
Vooruit's chairman Conner Rousseau was unhappy with the US ambassador's comments. Credit: Jill Delsaux/Belga
Asked about the dispute, White described Rousseau as “an interesting guy” and then added, “I don't know what's going on over there with the party president of a beautiful country like Belgium making a comparison like that. President Trump did not kill eight million Jews.”*
White brushed aside suggestions that the dispute – and the broader tone of the Trump administration – has damaged America’s standing in Europe.
When asked about polling showing that Europeans – including Belgians – no longer see the US as an ally, he insisted he was “not seeing that on the ground” and suggested negative perceptions were driven by media narratives rather than public sentiment.
*Editor's note: It is generally accepted that the number of Jewish people killed during the Holocaust is six million.
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