A synagogue in the eastern Belgian city of Liège was damaged in an explosion overnight into Monday, according to reports by Belgium’s public broadcaster, VRT, and French-language outlet Le Soir.
A Liege police spokesman issued a statement saying no one was injured in the explosion that occurred around 4 A.M. and that only property damage was caused.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said he stands “in solidarity with the Jewish community in Liège and across the country.” Posting on X, De Wever also wrote that “antisemitism is an attack on our values and our society, and we must fight it unequivocally.”
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, who was involved in an online spat with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar last month, also condemned the incident, calling it “an unacceptable criminal act.”
Posting in French on X, he wrote: “Everyone must be able to live their convictions in freedom, without fear for their safety. Whether these acts take place in Belgium or elsewhere, I firmly condemn all antisemitic acts. The fight against antisemitism will continue to mobilize us actively.”
Interior Minister Bernard Quintin described the explosion as “an abject antisemitic act that directly targeted Belgium’s Jewish community.” In a social media post, he said an investigation has been launched and that security around other Jewish institutions has been increased.
Earlier, Liège Mayor Willy Demeyer condemned the attack, describing it as an “extremely violent act of antisemitism, contrary to Liège’s tradition of respect for others.”
“The mayor and the city council express their strongest condemnation of this act. There is no place for external conflicts to be imported into our city,” Demeyer said Monday morning.
Yohan Benizri, a prominent member of Belgium’s Jewish community and a former President of the Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organizations in Belgium, told Haaretz he agrees with Demeyer’s assessment that the explosion was an antisemitic attack. “It cannot be explained otherwise,” he said in a statement.
Asked about the incident’s connection to the war in Iran, Benizri said “there is a direct correlation between heightened tensions in the Middle East and antisemitism, although the environment [in Belgium] has been terrible for a long time, even in times of relative peace.”
The European Jewish Congress, an umbrella organization representing Jewish communities across the continent, said it expects authorities in Belgium to conduct a “thorough investigation” that will bring “swift justice for those responsible.”
In a statement published on social media, the EJC called the explosion “a deliberate criminal act.”
“Targeting a synagogue with an explosive device is an act of extreme gravity and a direct attack on Jewish life and religious freedom. Such violence is intolerable and has no place in our societies,” the statement read. “Jewish communities must be able to live, pray and gather in safety without fear,” the EJC added.
