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Belgian police arrested a suspect carrying a Molotov cocktail outside the Israeli Embassy in Brussels on Saturday morning, Israel’s Foreign Ministry reported.
No embassy staff were injured in the incident. Meanwhile, investigators are examining the suspect’s background and motives.
The attempted attack came amid heightened political tension in Belgium over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Belgian security forces arrested a suspect this evening outside the Israeli Embassy in Brussels. A Molotov cocktail was found in his possession. All of Israel’s embassy staff are safe.
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) September 5, 2025
Belgian Foreign Minister’s Recognition Pledge
Earlier this week, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot announced his intention to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month.
His pledge immediately alarmed Jewish Belgian leaders. They warned that political gestures of this nature risked fueling antisemitic hostility already spreading across Belgium.
Jewish Leaders Sound Alarm Over Safety
Joel Rubinfeld, president of the Belgian League Against Antisemitism, voiced deep concern.
“We are going to be the last generation with a significant Jewish population in Belgium,” Rubinfeld warned in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. “For the Jewish people in Belgium, it is an additional drop in the cup of water that was already full.”
Raphael Werner, honorary chairman of the Forum of Jewish Organizations (FJO), underscored the normalization of violent rhetoric. For example, he pointed to a recent column by writer Herman Brusselmans, who wrote, “I get so furious that I want to ram a sharp knife through the throat of every Jew I meet.”
Indeed, Werner expressed fear for the safety of Belgian Jewry earlier this week. Days later, police stopped the Molotov cocktail suspect outside the embassy, confirming his concerns.
Not the First Embassy Attack
This weekend’s incident is not the first targeting Israel’s diplomatic mission in Belgium. In May 2024, assailants threw two airsoft grenades at the embassy in Brussels. Fortunately, no one suffered injuries.
Moreover, Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency later revealed that the 2024 attack formed part of a wider plot directed by the Iranian regime and carried out through criminal proxies across Europe. That operation also included aggression against Israeli targets in Sweden.
Consequently, the back-to-back incidents highlight the persistent threat facing Israeli diplomats and the broader Jewish community in Belgium.
Growing Threat to Belgian Jewry
The attempted firebombing illustrates the growing boldness of antisemitic extremists and the vulnerability of Belgian Jews, as well as the ongoing danger to Israel’s diplomatic missions.
Furthermore, community leaders have consistently warned that unchecked incitement and political gestures legitimizing anti-Israel hostility endanger Jewish life.
As a result, Saturday’s arrest shows the threat is not theoretical. Instead, it is urgent, real, and unfolding in the heart of Europe.
Take Action
CAM has launched Report It — a secure app to report antisemitic incidents anonymously and in real time. Don’t stay silent — download it today on the Apple Store or Google Play. See it. Report it. Stop it. Together, we can fight this hate.
