The Israeli Ambassador to Belgium Idit Rosenzweig-Abu is under fire for a controversial social media post on Wednesday which referenced one of Belgium's worst serial killers.
Ambassador Rosenzweig-Abu criticised a photo montage created by the Dutch-language newspaper De Morgen, featuring images of the newly released Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, amid the ongoing temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The newspaper’s headline read, "Israeli or Palestinian, it’s always someone’s parent or child," which is a reference to a song by Belgian singer Willem Vermandere about the fallen soldiers in the First World War.
The ambassador took great issue with the headline, stating, "I got one thing to say: Marc Dutroux was also someone’s child. That doesn’t mean it’s okay to compare him to his victims."
Her comments attracted widespread criticism, including from leading Belgian politicians. The Vice Chairman of Open VLD, Jasper Pillen, argued that the ambassador "cannot remain in office following such shocking statements and painful comparisons. Disgusting."
MP Simon Moutquin (Ecolo) called the incident "extremely serious" – and urged the Belgian Government to summon her over the comments. "Let’s reject the hierarchy of suffering, and work towards a just and lasting peace," he added.
Ambassador Rosenzweig-Abu has since deleted the tweet, "because I don’t want to disrespect Dutroux’s victims. But the main point stands," she added, replacing Marc Dutroux’s name with that of terrorist Salah Abdeslam, while also re-sharing the screenshot of her controversial tweet.
"What a correction!" Joris Vandenbroucke, the Vooruit group leader in the Chamber of Represenatatives, before adding "it shows where hate can lead."
The Ambassador later told De Morgen that she was bothered by the balance that the photo page creates between the people who have been released.
“We are still waiting for a ten-month-old baby,” the ambassador said. “I don't want them to be referred to as soldiers, like in that song about the First World War.”
One of the photos published by De Morgen showed 17-year-old Omar Afshan wearing a Hamas headband and the green Hamas flag draped around his shoulders. Footage shows his mother shouting “with our soul and blood we will redeem you, Hamas,” after which the crowd repeated it.
Some of the Palestinians who have been released had been in Israeli prison for crimes such as, shootings, placing bombs, stabbings or attempted murder, but others are also known to have been held for less severe offenses, such as throwing stones, or even without charge.
Diplomatic row
The controversy emerged as tensions between Belgium and Israel appeared to be simmering down after the joint Belgian-Spanish diplomatic mission last week.
The Israeli Ambassador met with Prime Minister Alexander De Croo’s chief of staff on Monday. "The meeting went well and everyone could detail their position and interpretation of events," reported Le Soir, quoting the Prime Minister’s office.
Last week, the Israeli government condemned a press conference held by De Croo and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez at the Rafah border crossing, which connects Egypt to Gaza. Despite repeated condemnation of Hamas’s terror attack throughout their trip, their call for a permanent cease-fire to avoid further civilian casualties was not well received by Israelis. The Israeli government says it would leave Hamas in power in Gaza and prevent the resumption of any peace process the "day after".
This led to both countries’ ambassadors in Israel being summoned.
"Moderation, restraint and empathy – that’s what we need more than ever to emerge from violence in Gaza. It is everyone’s responsibility to contribute," responded Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib. The Belgian head of diplomacy’s office has reportedly been in touch with the ambassador.
