Trump’s Ambassador to Belgium Is Summoned After Accusing Officials of Antisemitism

The diplomat, Bill White, was then asked to meet with the Belgian foreign minister, at a time of rising tensions between the U.S. and countries in Europe.Bill White, the U.S. ambassador to Belgium, is expected to meet on Tuesday with Belgian officials over his social media posts. Credit...Kurt Desplenter/Belga, via Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesFeb. 17, 2026, 7:48 a.m. ETBelgium’s government summoned President Trump’s ambassador after he accused his host nation of antisemitism and criticized a Belgian official in a series of posts on social media.The expected meeting Tuesday between the ambassador, Bill White, and Belgian officials comes at a moment of heightened tension as the Trump administration paints governments across Europe as out of line with American values.But while the criticism is typically about Europe’s liberality or its constraints on freedom of speech, this incident centers on its treatment of three religious figures. Mr. White criticized Belgium on Monday on social media over an investigation in Antwerp into whether three Jewish mohels who perform ritual circumcision are carrying out procedures without medical training.Mr. White wrote on X that Belgium should drop what he called a “RIDICULOUS AND ANTI SEMITIC ‘PROSECUTION.’” He tagged Mr. Trump and the American vice president and the secretary of state, among others.“You must make a legal provision to allow Jewish religious MOHELS to perform their duties here in Belgium,” Mr. White added, addressing the Belgian health minister.The Antwerp public prosecutor’s office put out a news release about the case in May and confirmed on Tuesday that the investigation was continuing. Kristof Aerts, a representative for the office, did not elaborate but noted that there were no “ongoing prosecutions.”Maxime Prévot, Belgium’s foreign minister, responded at length to Mr. White on X, saying that “personal attacks against a Belgian minister and interference in judicial matters violate basic diplomatic norms” and that he had summoned Mr. White for a meeting.“Any suggestion that Belgium is antisemitic is false, offensive, and unacceptable,” Mr. Prévot wrote in the post, on Monday evening.Mr. Prévot’s office confirmed that he and Mr. White were set to meet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. along with Theodora Gentzis, the secretary general of the Belgian foreign ministry.By Tuesday morning, Gideon Sa’ar, the Israeli foreign minister, had also weighed in on social media.“I understand that the mirror Ambassador @BillWhiteUSA has held up to you is unpleasant, but one might want to take this opportunity to take a hard look in that mirror and acknowledge reality,” he wrote.Mr. White did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Jeanna Smialek is the Brussels bureau chief for The Times.Koba Ryckewaert is a reporter and researcher for The Times based in Brussels.SKIP Site IndexNewsHome PageU.S.WorldPoliticsNew YorkEducationSportsBusinessTechScienceWeatherThe Great ReadObituariesHeadwayVisual InvestigationsThe MagazineArtsBook ReviewBest Sellers Book ListDanceMoviesMusicPop CultureTelevisionTheaterVisual ArtsLifestyleHealthWellFoodRestaurant ReviewsLoveTravelStyleFashionReal EstateT MagazineOpinionToday's OpinionColumnistsEditorialsGuest EssaysOp-DocsLettersSunday OpinionOpinion VideoOpinion AudioMoreAudioGamesCookingWirecutterThe AthleticJobsVideoGraphicsTrendingLive EventsCorrectionsReader CenterTimesMachineThe Learning NetworkSchool of The NYTinEducationAccountSubscribeManage My AccountHome DeliveryGift SubscriptionsGroup SubscriptionsGift ArticlesEmail NewslettersNYT LicensingReplica EditionTimes Store