[MIDDLE EAST] International tensions over anti-Semitism flared Thursday following the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. The assailant, who reportedly shouted “Free Palestine” as he was taken into custody, has intensified a growing debate over rising hate crimes linked to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the attack and pointed to mounting criticism of Israel’s Gaza campaign, particularly from Europe. “There is a direct line connecting anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement to this murder,” Saar stated. “This incitement is propagated by leaders and officials in many countries and international organizations, especially across Europe.”
The shooting has reignited global discussions on anti-Semitism, which observers say has surged amid the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict. Community leaders and human rights advocates have urged increased protections for Jewish institutions and called for more careful distinctions between political criticism of Israel and outright anti-Semitism.
French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine dismissed Saar’s accusations as “completely outrageous and unjustified.” The deadly incident occurred just outside the Capital Jewish Museum, roughly one mile from the White House, during a networking event for young professionals and diplomats. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack as “the terrible price of anti-Semitism,” and criticized “wild incitement against the State of Israel.”
Jewish organizations worldwide swiftly condemned the violence. The World Jewish Congress urged a coordinated international response to combat anti-Semitism and demanded stronger protective measures for Jewish communities. The incident comes amid heightened concerns about Jewish safety as global hate crimes increase.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who spoke with Netanyahu following the incident, described the attack as “clearly anti-Semitic” in a social media post. Israel identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, an American who worked at the embassy. The couple, who were engaged, were among attendees at the event when they were shot. Police arrested the suspected gunman, 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, at the scene.
The shooting has prompted renewed scrutiny of security at Jewish and diplomatic events. Experts have pointed out that the attacker initially entered the museum without raising alarms, underscoring the need for more vigilant protocols at venues deemed potential targets due to their cultural or political importance.
Footage circulating online showed a bearded man in a white shirt and jacket shouting “Free, free Palestine” as police led him away. According to a federal complaint, Rodriguez faces two counts of first-degree murder, charges related to the killing of foreign officials, and multiple firearms violations. The attack occurred just days after the museum received a security grant amid a global spike in anti-Semitic incidents following Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
The tragedy has further strained Israel’s relations with several European nations. While countries such as France and Britain condemned the shooting, they also reiterated calls for a more even-handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Diplomats emphasized the need for a negotiated peace that considers the rights and security of both Israelis and Palestinians.
The incident unfolds as anger mounts in the U.S. and abroad over Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian activists have decried what they describe as an intolerable human cost of the offensive. France, Britain, Germany, and the UAE all condemned the Washington shooting, but Netanyahu accused them of enabling extremism. “They want Israel to stand down and accept that Hamas’s army of mass murderers will survive, rebuild, and repeat the Oct. 7 massacre,” he said in a video message. “They think they’re advancing peace. They’re not.”
On Thursday, mourners gathered outside the museum to sing and pray. “We have to find a better way to a better future—for Israelis, for Palestinians, for American Jews, for Muslims, for all of us,” said Hadar Susskind, head of the progressive New Jewish Narrative group. “Obviously the war is awful,” said mourner Gil Livni. “But anti-Semitism—I feel it every day. People I thought were my friends have shown themselves to be anti-Semitic. It’s become the norm.”
Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter rejected the notion that Israel’s Gaza operations are to blame for rising anti-Semitism. “Hamas declared war. Israel is responding,” he told reporters at the scene.
Eyewitness accounts suggest initial confusion during the attack, with some mistaking the gunman for a victim. “They sat him down, asked if he was OK,” said witness Yoni Kalin. “And he’s like, ‘Somebody call the cops.’” Authorities said Rodriguez was seen pacing outside the museum before opening fire shortly after 9 p.m. local time.
The event, hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC), is an annual reception for young Jewish professionals and members of the diplomatic corps. Lischinsky, according to his LinkedIn profile and former employer The Times of Israel, was a Christian Israeli citizen with a German passport and worked as a researcher. Milgrim was employed in the embassy’s public diplomacy department.
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