Has Belgium adopted policies that discriminate against its Jewish citizens? A Belgian national residing in a settlement adjacent to Jerusalem beyond the Green Line was denied passport renewal because she inhabits "a settlement unrecognized by international law," the Jewish news outlet Israj reported Thursday.
An email the Belgian citizen received from Belgium's Israeli consulate asserted she resides in a Jerusalem sector that fails to meet "international law recognition" standards. In correspondence with her attorney, Julian Cohen, shared on social media, consular officials informed her that her address renders the Belgian consulate in Jerusalem unauthorized to process her passport application, adding that she and her family had been expunged from the consulate's population records.
Consular staff clarified that relocating to an alternative address would trigger reconsideration of her application. "Should you transfer to an address beyond an unrecognized settlement, you may supply us with the requisite supporting documentation enabling us to update your records accordingly." The Jerusalem resident's remaining recourse involves a Belgian court appeal, though, absent favorable judicial intervention, she cannot secure passport renewal through Jerusalem's consulate.
Attorney Julian Cohen denounced the consulate's determination. "The Belgian consulate in Jerusalem just dispatched correspondence to a client seeking Belgian passport renewal who inhabits Jerusalem's incorrect geographic sector, consequently forfeiting consulate service eligibility... This consulate purportedly maintains jurisdiction over both Jerusalem and Palestinian territories, yet their position places her neither within Jerusalem nor the territories..."
Last September – preceding the Israel-Hamas ceasefire – coalition partners threatening governmental collapse, coupled with intra-party pressure, compelled Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever to champion a comprehensive anti-Israel sanctions framework. The 12-section document, predominantly comprising Israeli sanctions, encompassed import prohibitions on Judea and Samaria settlement products plus east Jerusalem goods, weapons and war-applicable materials embargoes, visa denials for Israeli citizens from Judea and Samaria, Belgian airspace restrictions for military aircraft, targeted sanctions against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, plus additional provisions including consular service suspension for Belgian nationals inhabiting Israel, Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem.
The framework additionally mandated European Union-level anti-Israel initiatives, conditional Palestinian statehood recognition requiring Hamas disarmament and hostage liberation, alongside Hamas terror organization condemnations.
Jerusalem officials expressed disappointment regarding Belgium's sanction trajectory, though implementation appeared stalled until recently. Current developments reveal that the policy has transcended theoretical documentation, with sanctions progressively materializing operationally.
The stringent sanctions blindsided Israel, given Prime Minister De Wever's established pro-Israel credentials. Nevertheless, Belgium's domestic political pressures ultimately prevailed, forcing concessions that legitimized anti-Israel governmental resolutions. These determinations prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to characterize De Wever as "a feeble leader pursuing Islamic terror appeasement through Israeli sacrifice."
Ralph Pais, deputy president of Belgium's Jewish Center for Information and Documentation (JID), stated the "Jewish Center for Information and Documentation (JID) vehemently condemns the Belgian consulate's passport renewal refusal targeting a Belgian citizen domiciled in Israel, predicated exclusively upon residential location. This determination constitutes de facto sanctioning of a Belgian citizen, originating from Belgium's political Israel orientation."
Pais elaborated, "Passport access represents fundamental entitlement, not foreign policy instrumentation. Belgium imposes sanctions here not upon Israel but upon its citizenry. The reality that Belgian Jews residing in Israel bear this discrimination's impact renders it categorically unacceptable. Belgium's government effectively discriminates against its citizens based on political and religious alignment. This contravenes foundational legal principles and is unacceptable."
