In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed “deep sorrow” over the antisemitic attack that killed two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.
Netanyahu, in turn, thanked Trump for his administration’s efforts to combat antisemitism in the United States, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The victims, Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, were fatally shot as they were leaving an American Jewish Committee event at the Capital Jewish Museum.
“Yaron and Sarah weren’t the victims of a random crime. The terrorist who cruelly gunned them down did so for one reason and one reason alone—he wanted to kill Jews,” Netanyahu stated in a separate address.
The alleged shooter, 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, was filmed shouting, “Free, free Palestine,” as he was taken into custody.
“For these neo-Nazis, ‘Free Palestine’ is just today’s version of ‘Heil Hitler,’” Netanyahu continued. “They don’t want a Palestinian state. They want to destroy the Jewish state.”
In his statement, Netanyahu also censured world leaders—primarily, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer—for “proposing to establish a Palestinian state and reward these murderers with the ultimate prize.”
“These leaders may think that they’re advancing peace. They’re not,” he said. “They’re emboldening Hamas to continue fighting forever.”
During the call between the two leaders, Trump and Netanyahu also discussed the war in the Gaza Strip.
Trump “expressed support” for Netanyahu’s objectives for “releasing the hostages, bringing about the elimination of Hamas and advancing the Trump plan” for the relocation of Gazan civilians, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
