Sickening Washington terror attack by deranged activist highlights the increasing global threat to all Jews
The tragic terror attack in Washington that killed two staffers at the Israeli embassy will echo from the White House to Tel Aviv to Canberra as an example of the deadly dangers posed by the surge in anti-Semitism around the globe.
The gunning down of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim near the Jewish Museum on the streets of the American capital by an assassin reportedly calling for a “Free Palestine” will stun the US which, like Australia, has seen a major spike in anti-Semitism since the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas.
It is also a terrible reminder of the need to tackle the scourge of anti-Semitism here, where ASIO director-general Mike Burgess has issued a warning “in terms of threats to life”.
Anti-Semitism is now ASIO’s top priority.
The killings come at a time when the conflict in Gaza has been prominent in world news as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launches a new ground offensive into the Gaza Strip.
Donald Trump has been an unwavering supporter of Israel in its war against the terror group Hamas and has also been an outspoken critic of those who he believes allowed anti-Semitic behaviour to take root in the US.
In particular, the US President has targeted US universities, withholding federal funding from Ivy League institutions including Columbia and Harvard for their negligence in tolerating anti-Semitic behaviour on campus during last year’s anti-Israeli encampments.
Roughly half (48 per cent) of US Jewish college students say they have felt uncomfortable or unsafe at a campus event because they are Jewish and have avoided wearing, carrying or displaying things that could identify them as Jewish.
The American Jewish Committee says that more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of American Jews say they feel less safe in the US since the October 7 terror attacks on Israelis by Hamas.
Nine in 10 American Jews say anti-Semitism has increased since then.
As Australia’s peak Jewish body, the Executive Council of Australia Jewry, said on Thursday, the deadly attack in Washington “again shows us the danger posed to us all by the incitement and violence of the pro-Palestinian movement”.
The attack, as abhorrent as it was, is unlikely to impact on broader geopolitical issues such as US policy towards Israel and the Gaza conflict.
Trump has distanced himself somewhat from Netanyahu in recent weeks amid reports that he is impatient for an end to the war in Gaza. Trump pointedly did not visit Israel during his Middle East tour last week and has not stated whether he agrees with Netanyahu’s new ground offensive in Gaza, which the Israeli leader says will see Israeli forces take control of all of Gaza.
But in his public comments Trump has remained fully supportive of Israel’s campaign to destroy Hamas.
He has warned the terror group that there will “be hell to pay” if it does not release the remaining hostages.
But these terrible killings on the street of Washington highlight the danger of inflammatory rhetoric from anti-Israeli activists who live far from the horrors of Hamas and Gaza but who are willing to spew out ancient hatreds in their home country.
It’s a lesson for all of us about the need to renew efforts to tackle this scourge, including here in Australia.
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‘Free Palestine’ terror in DC: assassination of Jewish diplomats about to be engaged
A young couple who worked together at the Israeli embassy in Washington were shot dead near a Jewish museum in the US capital by a 30-year-old man who, when taken into custody, shouted ‘free, free Palestine’.