For the first time, the Consulate General of Belgium in Jerusalem has refused to issue a new passport to a Belgian-Israeli citizen solely because she lives in the Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood of Jerusalem. The consulate explained that the neighborhood is not recognized under international law, to which Belgium is bound. The citizen said she was “shocked.”
The woman who applied to renew her passport is Annabel Herziger-Tanzer, daughter of Auschwitz survivor Sam Herziger, a Belgian citizen and well-known artist whose works are displayed in museums around the world, including in the Belgian port city of Antwerp.
Annabel’s passport expired about a month ago. As she had done in the past, she contacted the Belgian Consulate in Jerusalem and asked to schedule an appointment to issue a new passport. To her astonishment, the consulate replied that it was refusing to issue her one.
“Madame Herziger, after reviewing our population records, we found that you settled in a colony that is not recognized under international law, to which Belgium is bound. Therefore, you could not be registered at this address in the consular population records of the Consulate General of Belgium in Jerusalem,” the email said.
It also said that if she moves in the future to an address in a recognized locality, she could provide supporting documents so her details could be updated. She was also given the option to appeal the decision within 60 days.
Annabel said: “I felt as if they had spat in my face, as if I were a second-class person. I am a member of the Israel-Belgium Friendship Association, but I am no longer proud to be Belgian. It brings up trauma for me as the second generation of Holocaust survivors. I always felt like a resident of Israel and Belgium, with my first love for my first homeland. Had my last name been Awad and had I lived in Pisgat Ze’ev, I would not have been treated this way.”
Annabel recalled that several years ago, she received a form to vote in Belgium’s elections, and a letter from the consulate referred to “Pisgat Ze’ev, Palestinian territory.” Annabel immediately wrote to them that they were mistaken. “They sent an apology in which they wrote: ‘Jerusalem, Pisgat Ze’ev.’ Now Belgium does not want me.”
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The consulate wrote: ‘Pisgat Ze’ev — Palestinian territory’
(Photo: AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
Her husband, social activist Alex Tanzer, sent an urgent letter to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar: “Where is the State of Israel? The Foreign Ministry must immediately summon the Belgian ambassador for a reprimand. This is the only country in the world that practices selection between Jews and non-Jews.”
The change in position stems from a decision by the authorities in Brussels not to provide consular services to citizens in settlements. These services include issuing and renewing passports and registering marriages. The consulate’s response is a result of a Belgian government decision from September 2025 that focused on recognizing a Palestinian state.
Belgium conditioned recognition of a Palestinian state on Hamas not taking part in any future Palestinian governing mechanism. In other words, Belgian recognition has not actually taken effect. However, the decision included additional clauses, including a ban on Israeli military flights over Belgium, sanctions on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich and the decision regarding consular services for Belgian citizens who live in places Belgium considers settlements. In practice, Belgium began implementing the decision this year.