The Belgian Ministry of Defense has deployed soldiers outside synagogues and Jewish schools in Antwerp, in cooperation with the federal police.
The decision follows a wave of antisemitic incidents across Europe, including an explosion outside a synagogue in Belgium and an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in the Netherlands.
Interior and Defense Ministers Bernard Quintin and Theo Francken made the decision after the attack on a synagogue in Liège, where a bomb exploded outside a synagogue earlier this month, as well as several antisemitic incidents in Norway and the Netherlands, including explosions and an attempted synagogue arson.
On March 9, an explosion occurred near a synagogue in Liège. A few days later, incidents took place in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, where a fire was set at a synagogue and an explosion occurred at a Jewish school.
In Norway, on March 8, an explosion took place at the United States Embassy in Norway. Yesterday, four ambulances belonging to a Jewish emergency organization in Golders Green, London, were burned in an antisemitic incident that has alarmed the Jewish community.
Member of Parliament Michael Freilich, who pushed for deploying soldiers in Jewish neighborhoods, wrote after the decision: “The federal police have called on the army to guard Jewish sites now that the threat is real. It is good to finally see action taken following a series of attacks on Jewish institutions. It is important that this step was taken. Safety must come first." The local JID, which fights antisemitism, also worked extensively to bring soldiers into the city’s streets.
Another Member of Parliament, Sam Van Rooy of the right-wing Vlaams Belang party, a strong supporter of Israel, also worked to promote the deployment. He previously said: “The more I studied, the more I understood that Israel is fighting our war. Here, people usually don’t understand Arabic and don’t know what is being said in mosques. When you understand what is being said in mosques, what is taught in schools, what politicians from Fatah and Hamas say, and when you deeply understand the history-you arrive at an understanding of the Israeli position."