The gunman who killed two employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night, was inspired by the legitimization of antisemitic violence, according to Ofir Akunis, consul general of Israel in New York.
“Rhetoric that legitimizes violence against Jews and Israelis sadly leads to terror attacks—like the one we saw last night in Washington,” he said. “This is a direct result of dangerous incitement and unprecedented riots led by terror-affiliated groups on U.S. campuses.”
“Sadly, someone here listened to the chants of ‘intifada, intifada,’” the consul general stated. “Qatar is responsible for funding the protests that led to this tragedy and must be held to account.”
“No terror group or lone attacker will stop us from representing the State of Israel,” the diplomat added, “neither in the U.S. nor anywhere else in the world.”