 "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a memorial ceremony for those killed by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attack, in Jerusalem, on October 28, 2024. AP File")
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called out French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Ministers Keir Starmer and Mark Carney of the UK and Canada for “saying they want Hamas to remain in power” and “asking Israel to end its war in Gaza.” His comments came after the killing of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC on Wednesday night.
“I could never understand how this simple truth evades the leaders of France, Britain, Canada and others. They are now proposing to establish a Palestinian state and reward these murderers with the ultimate prize,” Netanyahu said.
He added, “You won’t be surprised to learn that Hamas thanked President Macron and Prime Ministers Starmer and Carney for demanding that Israel end its war in Gaza immediately. I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Starmer: When mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you’re on the wrong side of justice.”
Netanyahu branded the killings as “a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism” and drew an explicit link with the increasingly hostile climate facing Israel over the war in Gaza, which has ranged from campus protests to accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
Israel identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, a US employee of the embassy, and said they were a couple planning to marry. They were leaving the Capital Jewish Museum when the attack happened.
The suspect, Elias Rodriguez, confessed that he committed the crime “for Palestine”. He was also heard shouting “Free, free Palestine” as he was being taken away by police officers on Wednesday outside the Capital Jewish Museum.
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View AllRodriguez has been charged with first-degree murder as well as with the charge of killing foreign officials and other firearm-related charges. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said, “This is a death penalty-eligible case,” adding that it is still too early to decide whether the prosecutors will seek it or not.