U.S. President Joe Biden phoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday night to condemn the “horrific” Palestinian terrorist attack at a synagogue in Jerusalem.
“The president made clear that this was an attack against the civilized world,” said a White House readout of the call. It added that Biden also “stressed the ironclad U.S. commitment to Israel’s security.”
Seven people were killed and several others were wounded in a terrorist shooting attack on Friday night in Jerusalem’s Neve Ya’akov neighborhood.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington “condemns in the strongest terms the horrific terrorist attack,” adding: “We mourn those killed in the attack, and our thoughts are with the injured, including children. The notion of people being targeted as they leave a house of worship is abhorrent.”
Blinken is set to arrive in Israel on Monday for a previously planned visit.
Earlier Friday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denounced the “heinous” attack.
“We strongly condemn the heinous terror attack that took place this evening at a synagogue in Jerusalem, and are shocked and saddened by the loss of life,” she said. “The attack tragically occurred on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, when the memory of those lost in the Holocaust is commemorated around the world.”
The United States offers the Israeli government and people its full support, and Biden directed his national security team to “engage immediately with Israeli counterparts to offer all appropriate support in assisting the wounded and bringing the perpetrators of this horrible crime to justice,” Jean-Pierre’s statement added.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides issued a statement on Twitter condemning the “horrific act of violence at a Jerusalem synagogue on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“I am shocked and disgusted at this heinous terrorist attack on innocent people, including children,” he wrote. “Praying for all of the victims and their loved ones.”
