Global leaders are condemning the fatal attack on 2 Israeli Embassy staffers. Here’s what they said
BERLIN (AP) — Global reactions poured in Thursday in the hours after two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed Wednesday evening while leaving an event at a Jewish museum.
Authorities say the suspect yelled, “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested.
The violence was condemned by world leaders. Here’s what they said:
What did U.S. President Donald Trump say?
“These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” Trump posted on social media early Thursday. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”
What did Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say?
Netanyahu ’s office said Thursday that he was “shocked” by the “horrific, antisemitic” shooting.
“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a statement.
What did British Prime Minister Keir Starmer say?
Starmer said that “antisemitism is an evil we must stamp out wherever it appears. My thoughts are with their colleagues, family and loved ones, and as always, I stand in solidarity with the Jewish community.”
Starmer’s spokesperson said the government has “offered its full support to the Israeli embassy in London.”
In April, a man carrying a knife tried to break into Israel’s London embassy. Abdullah Sabah Albadri was charged with a terrorism offense.
This month five Iranian men were arrested over an alleged plot to attack the embassy. They were later released, and police say the investigation is continuing.
What did French President Emmanuel Macron say?
Macron says he has reached out to his Israeli counterpart in the wake of the killings in what the French leader called “an antisemitic attack.”
Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s foreign minister, called it “an abhorrent act of antisemitic barbarity” and said “nothing can justify such violence.”
France’s government on Thursday instructed police and military officials to put “visible and dissuasive” security in place around Jewish sites.
The instructions were issued by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and published by his ministry. The minister said security should be reinforced around Jewish sites – he specified synagogues, schools, shops, media and cultural events – following the shooting.
“The measures put in place … should be visible and dissuasive,” his instructions to police and defense officials said. “I know I can count on your mobilization.”
What did German Chancellor Friedri
ch Merz say?
Merz, in a post on X, said he was “shocked” by the news.
“Our thoughts are with their families,” Merz wrote. “At this stage we must assume an anti-Semitic motive. I condemn this heinous act in the strongest possible terms.”
What did Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani say?
Italy strongly condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the Israeli government and victims.
“Antisemitic violence that is the child of hatred against Jews is not acceptable and must be stopped,” Tajani said in a statement.
He said Italy was committed to fighting all forms of hatred and discrimination and promoting “a culture of respect and peaceful coexistence through education, remembrance and the firm defense of human rights.”
What did Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, say?
“There is and should be no place in our societies for hatred, extremism, or antisemitism. I extend my condolences to the families of the victims and the people of Israel,” Kallas, EU foreign policy chief, said.