Two Israeli Embassy employees, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were shot and killed Wednesday night [1] outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, in what authorities are investigating as a terrorist act motivated by antisemitism. The couple, who had just left a diplomatic event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, were planning to get engaged. The gunman, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, shouted “Free, free Palestine” as he was arrested.
The incident, which occurred just blocks from the White House, drew swift condemnation from world leaders. President Donald Trump called it “obviously” an antisemitic attack and declared that hatred “must end, NOW.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered heightened security at embassies worldwide, while Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the killings as a “despicable act of hatred.”
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International reactions were equally forceful. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron all labeled the shooting antisemitic. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also condemned the killings. Germany’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that one of the victims held dual Israeli-German citizenship.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar blamed the attack on global antisemitic incitement and said Lischinsky died as “a warrior on the diplomatic front.” Flags in Israel were ordered to half-staff, and a major international conference on antisemitism is now being planned in Jerusalem.
The full article includes powerful quotes from world leaders and details on the humanitarian event the victims were attending. Read the full story [1] for a comprehensive look at this developing case and its broader geopolitical context.