US President Donald Trump on Thursday offered his condolences to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon the death of two Israeli embassy staff members who were shot in Washington, DC, and expressed “deep sorrow” in a telephone conversation between the leaders.
The victims were shot dead at the Capital Jewish Museum by a shooter who, eyewitnesses report, screamed “Free Palestine” as he was being arrested a development that has fueled worldwide alarm at the increase in antisemitism.
A CNN account quoted an announcement from Netanyahu’s office verifying the call and Trump’s blunt denunciation of the attack. Netanyahu was quoted as thanking Trump for his government’s initiatives to fight antisemitism in the US, especially with mounting tensions on college campuses.
The president reiterates his determination to eradicate the violent antisemitism that has engulfed the campuses of America’s colleges and universities,” Israeli Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said outside the museum.
The White House confirmed the call, labeling it as “productive” and saying that both leaders also touched on continuing tensions with Iran. Whilst Trump’s administration continues to seek diplomatic talks with Tehran, Israel has gravitated towards military deterrence, a divergence in strategies on how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program.
“They talked about a lot of things, including last night’s tragic shooting that occurred here in Washington, DC,” replied Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at a press briefing.
Leavitt went on to say Trump highlighted his guarded optimism for the next round of US-Iranian talks in Rome later this week, saying: “This deal with Iran could end in two ways. It could end in a very positive diplomatic solution, or it could end in a very negative situation for Iran.”
The shooting has renewed arguments about antisemitic violence and wider geopolitical tensions driving such attacks.
