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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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Security Warning to Israelis Vacationing Abroad Ahead of holidays
A passenger arrives to a terminal at Ben Gurion international airport before Israel bans international flights, January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Ahead of the Jewish High Holidays, Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) published the latest threat assessment to Israelis abroad from terrorist groups to the public on Sunday, in order to increase the Israeli public’s awareness of the existing terrorist threats around the world and encourage individuals to take preventive action accordingly.
The NSC specified that the warning is an up-to-date reflection of the main trends in the activities of terrorist groups around the world and their impact on the level of threat posed to Israelis abroad during these times, but the travel warnings and restrictions themselves are not new.
“As the Gaza war continues and in parallel with the increasing threat of terrorism, the National Security Headquarters stated it has recognized a trend of worsening and increasing violent antisemitic incidents and escalating steps by anti-Israel groups, to the point of physically harming Israelis and Jews abroad. This is in light of, among other things, the anti-Israel narrative and the negative media campaign by pro-Palestinian elements — a trend that may encourage and motivate extremist elements to carry out terrorist activities against Israelis or Jews abroad,” the statement read.
“Therefore, the National Security Bureau is reinforcing its recommendation to the Israeli public to act with responsibility during this time when traveling abroad, to check the status of the National Security Bureau’s travel warnings (before purchasing tickets to the destination,) and to act in accordance with the travel warning recommendations and the level of risk in the country they are visiting,” it listed, adding that, as illustrated in the past year, these warnings are well-founded and reflect a tangible and valid threat potential.
The statement also emphasized the risk of sharing content on social media networks indicating current or past service in the Israeli security forces, as these posts increase the risk of being marked by various parties as a target. “Therefore, the National Security Council recommends that you do not upload to social networks, in any way, content that indicates service in the security forces, operational activity, or similar content, as well as real-time locations.”
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Israel Intensifies Gaza City Bombing as Rubio Arrives
Displaced Palestinians, fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, move southward after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, in the central Gaza Strip September 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Israeli forces destroyed at least 30 residential buildings in Gaza City and forced thousands of people from their homes, Palestinian officials said, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived on Sunday to discuss the future of the conflict.
Israel has said it plans to seize the city, where about a million Palestinians have been sheltering, as part of its declared aim of eliminating the terrorist group Hamas, and has intensified attacks on what it has called Hamas’ last bastion.
The group’s political leadership, which has engaged in on-and-off negotiations on a possible ceasefire and hostage release deal, was targeted by Israel in an airstrike in Doha on Tuesday in an attack that drew widespread condemnation.
Qatar will host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit on Monday to discuss the next moves. Rubio said Washington wanted to talk about how to free the 48 hostages – of whom 20 are believed to be still alive – still held by Hamas in Gaza and rebuild the coastal strip.
“What’s happened, has happened,” he said. “We’re gonna meet with them (the Israeli leadership). We’re gonna talk about what the future holds,” Rubio said before heading to Israel where he will stay until Tuesday.
ABRAHAM ACCORDS AT RISK
He was expected to visit the Western Wall Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem on Sunday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hold talks with him during the visit.
US officials described Tuesday’s strike on the territory of a close US ally as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests. Rubio and US President Donald Trump both met Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Friday.
Netanyahu signed an agreement on Thursday to push ahead with a settlement expansion plan that would cut across West Bank land that the Palestinians seek for a state – a move the United Arab Emirates warned would undermine the US-brokered Abraham accords that normalized UAE relations with Israel.
Israel, which blocked all food from entering Gaza for 11 weeks earlier this year, has been allowing more aid into the enclave since late July to prevent further food shortages, though the United Nations says far more is needed.
It says it wants civilians to leave Gaza City before it sends more ground forces in. Tens of thousands of people are estimated to have left but hundreds of thousands remain in the area. Hamas has called on people not to leave.
Israeli army forces have been operating inside at least four eastern suburbs for weeks, turning most of at least three of them into wastelands. It is closing in on the center and the western areas of the territory, where most of the displaced people are taking shelter.
Many are reluctant to leave, saying there is not enough space or safety in the south, where Israel has told them to go to what it has designated as a humanitarian zone.
Some say they cannot afford to leave while others say they were hoping the Arab leaders meeting on Monday in Qatar would pressure Israel to scrap its planned offensive.
“The bombardment intensified everywhere and we took down the tents, more than twenty families, we do not know where to go,” said Musbah Al-Kafarna, displaced in Gaza City.
Israel said it had completed five waves of air strikes on Gaza City over the past week, targeting more than 500 sites, including Hamas reconnaissance and sniper sites, buildings containing tunnel openings and weapons depots.
Local officials, who do not distinguish between militant and civilian casualties, say at least 40 people were killed by Israeli fire across the enclave, a least 28 in Gaza City alone.
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Turkey Warns of Escalation as Israel Expands Strikes Beyond Gaza
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not seen) at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, May 13, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Umit Bektas
i24 News – An Israeli strike targeting Hamas officials in Qatar has sparked unease among several Middle Eastern countries that host leaders of the group, with Turkey among the most alarmed.
Officials in Ankara are increasingly worried about how far Israel might go in pursuing those it holds responsible for the October 7 attacks.
Israel’s prime minister effectively acknowledged that the Qatar operation failed to eliminate the Hamas leadership, while stressing the broader point the strike was meant to make: “They enjoy no immunity,” the government said.
On X, Prime Minister Netanyahu went further, writing that “the elimination of Hamas leaders would put an end to the war.”
A senior Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, summed up Ankara’s reaction: “The attack in Qatar showed that the Israeli government is ready to do anything.”
Legally and diplomatically, Turkey occupies a delicate position. As a NATO member, any military operation or targeted killing on its soil could inflame tensions within the alliance and challenge mutual security commitments.
Analysts caution, however, that Israel could opt for covert measures, operations carried out without public acknowledgement, a prospect that has increased anxiety in governments across the region.
Israeli officials remain defiant. In an interview with Ynet, Minister Ze’ev Elkin said: “As long as we have not stopped them, we will pursue them everywhere in the world and settle our accounts with them.” The episode underscores growing fears that efforts to hunt Hamas figures beyond Gaza could widen regional friction and complicate diplomatic relationships.