Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) September 11, 2026 – Antwerp-based activist Moshe Friedman has launched summary proceedings against the Belgian State seeking to have United States Ambassador Bill White declared persona non grata and required to leave Belgium. The Dutch-speaking Court of First Instance in Brussels is scheduled to hear the case on 16 September. Friedman is requesting that the Belgian authorities be ordered to act within three working days, with a proposed penalty of €8,000 for each day of delay. The case follows an earlier criminal complaint Friedman filed against White, which is due to be heard by the Brussels Criminal Court on 20 October.
Moshe Friedman has asked a Brussels court to compel the Belgian State to declare US Ambassador Bill White persona non grata, a designation that would require the United States diplomat to leave Belgian territory.
The application was filed through summary proceedings before the Dutch-speaking Court of First Instance in Brussels, according to documents seen by the Belga news agency and reported by The Brussels Times and La Libre. The hearing has been set for 16 September.
Friedman’s filing asks the court to require the Belgian State to make the designation within three working days. He is also seeking a penalty payment of €8,000 per breach and for each day of delay if the requested order is not followed.
The legal action forms part of a dispute between Friedman and White linked to an ongoing Belgian judicial investigation concerning ritual circumcisions in Antwerp. Friedman is a civil party in that investigation.
Brussels Court Scheduled to Hear Expulsion Request
The case concerns the status of White, the US ambassador accredited to Belgium. Under the request made by Friedman, Belgian authorities would be required to take steps intended to ensure that the ambassador leaves the country after being declared persona non grata.
Friedman invokes the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations in his action against the Belgian State. He alleges that White interfered in Belgium’s internal affairs and argues that Belgian authorities have not taken sufficient action in response to the ambassador’s public statements.
The Vienna Convention governs diplomatic relations between states, including the status, protections and obligations of diplomatic representatives. It provides that a receiving state may notify a sending state that a diplomatic agent is persona non grata. In such circumstances, the sending state is expected to recall the diplomat or terminate their functions.
Neither The Brussels Times nor La Libre reported a judicial ruling in the matter as of 10 September. The proceedings are scheduled for consideration before the Brussels court on 16 September.
Earlier Criminal Case Is Due in October
Friedman had already brought a separate case against White personally, accusing the ambassador of threats, extortion, defamation and harassment, according to The Brussels Times. That case is scheduled to be heard at the Brussels Criminal Court on 20 October.
White has said he will invoke diplomatic immunity in response to the criminal proceedings. Diplomatic immunity is a protection accorded to diplomats under international law and is addressed in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Reports published in late August and early September said White had indicated that the United States would rely on his diplomatic immunity in the legal dispute. He also said he would be prepared to answer the allegations if the matter could proceed before a court.
The reports do not indicate that diplomatic immunity has been waived in the criminal case. The Brussels Criminal Court is listed as the venue for the scheduled 20 October hearing.
Circumcision Investigation Led to Public Dispute
The dispute between Friedman and White developed in connection with an investigation involving ritual circumcisions in Antwerp. Belgian law permits ritual circumcision when it is performed by a qualified medical professional and subject to health and safety rules, according to reporting cited by international media.
Authorities investigated allegations involving men who carried out circumcisions without the required medical qualifications. Reports stated that Belgian prosecutors were preparing cases against three Jewish circumcisers, known as mohels, in connection with allegations that the procedures had been carried out outside the applicable legal framework.
White publicly criticised the investigation. In February, he described the case involving the Antwerp circumcisers as a “ridiculous” and “antisemitic” prosecution, according to reporting by VRT and other outlets.
Belgian officials responded that the investigation concerned the enforcement of health and legal requirements governing medical procedures, rather than a prohibition on Jewish religious practice.
Friedman, who is based in Antwerp, became a civil party in the case. He later accused White of making statements directed at him and of interfering in a domestic Belgian judicial matter.
The Brussels Times reported that White repeatedly criticised the investigation and referred to Friedman as a “fraudster” and a “swindler”.
Belgian Foreign Minister Previously Summoned White
The legal challenge follows other public disputes involving White and Belgian officials. On 1 September, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said White had promised not to make further public disparaging statements about Belgian politicians after the ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The meeting followed an Instagram post by White containing an artificial intelligence-generated image of Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke. The image included the text “Damages every form of joy in life”, while White added the question:
“Who’s the biggest loser in Belgium?”
according to VRT.
Prévot described the post as unacceptable for an ambassador accredited to Belgium and summoned White to explain the matter, VRT reported.
White initially said that he had held a frank conversation with Prévot and respected what the minister had said. In a later written response, White stated that he had promised to refrain from public disparaging statements targeting Belgian officials and would instead direct complaints to the government first.
The meeting was reported as the second occasion in 2026 on which Belgian authorities had summoned White in connection with public statements. His earlier criticism of the Antwerp circumcision investigation had also prompted a diplomatic response.
Legal Proceedings Focus on Belgian State’s Role
Friedman’s latest action is directed at the Belgian State rather than White alone. The application asks the court to order state authorities to use the diplomatic mechanism of declaring the ambassador persona non grata.
The case is proceeding in summary proceedings, a procedure generally used to seek urgent judicial measures. The court is due to consider whether it can order the Belgian State to take the diplomatic action requested by Friedman.
The materials reported by Belga and published by The Brussels Times state that Friedman alleges Belgian authorities failed to act sufficiently against White. The application relies, among other grounds, on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
No response from the Belgian State, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the US Embassy in Brussels or White was included in the reports concerning Friedman’s 16 September application.
The 16 September hearing concerns Friedman’s request for a court order against the Belgian State. The separate criminal case involving allegations against White is due to be heard more than a month later, on 20 October.
Antwerp Activist’s Rabbinical Title Has Been Disputed
Friedman describes himself as a rabbi, though several Jewish organisations have disputed that title, according to The Brussels Times. The outlet reported that organisations had distanced themselves from him and that he was said not to have completed the prescribed rabbinical training.
Other reporting has similarly described Friedman as an Antwerp-based Jewish activist who identifies himself as a rabbi. The reports have linked his legal actions to his role as a civil party in the Antwerp circumcision investigation.
The question before the Brussels court is not the underlying circumcision case itself, but whether the Belgian State can be ordered to declare the US ambassador persona non grata within the period requested by Friedman.
The Dutch-speaking Court of First Instance in Brussels is scheduled to hear the request on 16 September.
