Bill White and the Belgian government make up after a feud that was sparked by American accusations of antisemitism.
Belgium’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it’s time to “turn the page,” after a row between U.S. envoy Bill White and local politicians snowballed into a tense diplomatic spat.
“Belgium and the U.S. are longstanding allies, with deep historical bonds” and should now focus on a “positive agenda,” the ministry said in a statement following a de-escalatory meeting between Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot and White.
The ambassador stirred controversy last week in a long message that railed against an ongoing judicial investigation into three Antwerp mohalim — Jewish men who perform ritual circumcision. White called the court case antisemitic and Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke “very rude,” prompting an outcry over U.S. interference in Belgium’s legal system.
The men are under investigation for allegedly carrying out circumcisions without involving a medical professional; an obligation under Belgian law.
White’s explosive intervention came shortly after Trump’s Polish ambassador sparked a feud with the government in Warsaw, and right before the American envoy to France, Charles Kushner, was summoned by the French government over the U.S. administration’s public comments about the death of a far-right activist after a fight in Lyon.
The Belgian clash deepened further when White demanded that Conner Rousseau — leader of Flemish socialist party Vooruit — retract an Instagram video in which he compared U.S. President Donald Trump and ICE officers with Hitler. White declared that Rousseau would officially be banned entry to the U.S. over the video.
The Foreign Ministry’s message Tuesday was conciliatory. “The current U.S. administration is not comparable to the Nazi regime. When a comparison is made with Nazism, productive debate ends,” its message read. It also said Prévot had confirmed that the Belgian government is committed to “combating all forms of antisemitism.”
But the ministry also insisted that Belgium’s “judiciary is independent and impartial in Belgium, and that therefore its action cannot suffer from political or diplomatic interference,” and rejected “comments personally targeting Belgian politicians.”
The U.S. ambassador has indicated that he’ll lift “the idea of travel restrictions” on Rousseau, the ministry also said.
Upon leaving Tuesday’s meeting, the ambassador didn’t answer questions from Belgian media about the backlash against his comments. But he told broadcaster VRT that, “We had a great conversation … We are back on track.”