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Israel’s Culture Minister Miki Zohar Joins Israeli MKs in Calling for Death Penalty for DC Jewish Museum Shooter
A friend organized a vigil for Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, Israeli embassy staffers who were shot dead at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC on May 22, 2025. Photo: ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect
Israel’s Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar believes authorities in the United States should pursue the death penalty against the alleged gunman responsible for last week’s murder of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC, he told The Algemeiner on Tuesday.
“I think this is an important message that all the antisemitic people should know — that there is a big price to pay if they do these kinds of actions,” Zohar said of his support for pursuing the death penalty against 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez. “I think this is maybe a good idea, to give a very, very hard penalty against this criminal. And I’m hoping that a strong action against him — or maybe against people that supported him or sent him to do that — will deliver a message that people should avoid this antisemitic way in the future.”
Zohar also said in an interview that he trusts that authorities in the US will handle the case in a very serious manner.
His comments come five days after 15 members of Israel’s parliament signed a letter sent to US Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her to pursue the death penalty against Rodriguez. The letter was spearheaded by MK Yitzhak Kroizer of the Otzma Yehudit Party.
“We respectfully urge your office to pursue the fullest extent of the law in prosecuting this case,” stated the letter sent on May 22, a day after the shooting. “In light of the gravity of the crime — its premeditated nature, the likely ideological motivation, and the victims’ diplomatic status — we believe it would be appropriate for you to seek the death penalty for its perpetrator.”
Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, were shot and killed on the evening of May 21 while leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. Rodriguez had flown from Chicago to Washington the day before the attack with a firearm in his checked luggage, according to an FBI affidavit supporting Rodriguez’s federal criminal charges. Surveillance footage shows him firing multiple rounds at the victims, and as they fell, he allegedly continued firing at close range, even as one attempted to crawl away.
Rodriguez yelled “Free Palestine” while being arrested by police after the shooting, according to video of the incident. The affidavit also stated that he told law enforcement he “did it for Gaza.”
The Chicago native has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, the murder of foreign officials, causing death through the use of a firearm, and using a firearm during a violent crime. The shooting “is a death penalty-eligible case,” said US Attorney Jeanine Pirro. At a court hearing last week, Rodriguez was ordered to remain in detention and his next hearing was scheduled for June 18.
Zohar condemned the murder while speaking to The Algemeiner on Tuesday morning. “We know that the antisemitism is spreading around the United States, especially in the universities and campuses, but we [in Israel] didn’t believe this kind of action could happen,” he said. “It proves that [antisemitism] is something we must take care of, and we must do something about it.”
Zohar was in Washington, DC, just days before the shooting to meet with Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and also Leo Terrell, head of the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, at the US Department of Justice. During the meeting with Terrell, they discussed the increase of antisemitic incidents around the world, foreign funding on university campuses, and steps that can be taken to combat antisemitism. Zohar noted that he has spoken with Leiter following the deadly shooting, and told The Algemeiner he believes Terrell and US President Donald Trump are dedicated to tackling the issue of antisemitism. The minister explained he is “optimistic” that the situation will “be better in the future” because of their leadership and efforts.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced heightened security at Israeli embassies worldwide as a preventive measure following the deadly attack on US soil. He also spoke after the shooting with Bondi, who said that Trump “is involved in managing the event, and that the US will bring the murderer to justice,” according to Netanyahu’s office. The Israeli premier thanked Bondi and Trump “for their clear stand against antisemitism.”
In their letter to Bondi, the 15 Israeli lawmakers said Lischinsky and Milgrim were “not random victims.”
“The preliminary evidence, including the statements attributed to the alleged assailant Elias Rodriguez, strongly indicates that this was a targeted and hate-driven act,” they wrote. The MKs said they felt “compelled to speak out” about the attack even though they are “fully confident in the integrity and professionalism” of the US system of justice. They are appealing to the attorney general “with the utmost respect for American sovereignty and due process.”
“We believe that the strength of the US-Israel alliance is built not only on shared interests, but also on a mutual commitment to uphold the values of human dignity, justice, and security,” the lawmakers added. “We thank you for your attention this matter and stand ready to support efforts to ensure that those who perpetrate such atrocities are held fully accountable.”
In a released statement, Bondi condemned the “brutal, antisemitic” shooting in Washington. “We will follow the facts and secure the most severe possible punishment for the perpetrator of this heinous crime, which robbed two wonderful young people of a bright future together,” she added.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven Jensen described the “heinous murder” as a “targeted, antisemitic” attack.
The post Israel’s Culture Minister Miki Zohar Joins Israeli MKs in Calling for Death Penalty for DC Jewish Museum Shooter first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.