(Updated) Diplomats in Canada feel safe but vigilant after U.S. shootings: Israeli ambassador

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Alessia Passafiume, May 22, 2025.

Israel’s ambassador in Canada said the country’s diplomatic team in Ottawa feels safe but must remain “vigilant” after a shooting killed two employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.

Iddo Moed said in an interview Thursday the embassy is “shocked and devastated” by what happened.

“We have to be aware that risks nowadays are greater than ever before,” Moed said, noting the significant rise of antisemitism and acts of hatred and violence targeting Jews including in Canada.

“We have to do whatever we can to try and stop this violent expression of hatred that is out there … We all have to do whatever we can to stop those who are out there to harm others.”

Canadian politicians and Jewish groups expressed horror and outrage at the shooting which killed Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and American citizen Sarah Milgrim. The young couple were shot as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum.

Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith told a news conference on Thursday that the suspect had been seen pacing outside the museum, then approached a group of four people and opened fire.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he is “devastated and appalled” by the killings, calling it a targeted attack on the Jewish community and condemning it “in the strongest terms.”

“My prayers are with Yaron and Sarah, their grieving loved ones, and the entire Jewish community,” he said in a post on social media.

In her own social media post, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said antisemitism and the “violence and fear it brings are beyond deplorable and must stop.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Lischinsky and Milgrim “had lives of promise” that were cut short when they were “targeted and killed, simply because they were Jewish.”

“Antisemitism is the world’s most enduring form of hatred. We see it rear its ugly head close to home here in Canada as well, with violence, vandalism, and intimidation in our communities,” he said on social media.

“We must speak the truth, stand with the Jewish community, and unite to erase this hatred from Canada and the entire world.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday he was shocked by the attack.

“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a media statement.

Several police forces said they had increased patrols following the shooting. York Regional Police north of Toronto said they’ll be increasing their presence around synagogues and other places of worship, as well as at schools and community centres.

“There is no immediate threat to our region and these patrols are in place to support all members of our community,” police said.

Toronto Police said they will have a “visible presence” across the city. Police also said they’ll be present at Sunday’s Walk for Israel event in Toronto and that “anyone who attempts to incite violence or target others based on race, religion, or any other factor will face immediate and decisive action. 

“Acts of hate will not be tolerated.

Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman said on social media the killings were “a horrible attack of hatred and antisemitism.”

“I, together with all of my Embassy of Canada colleagues, offer our deep and sincere condolences to the family and friends of the victims. Canada condemns antisemitism in all its forms.”

Advocacy organization B’nai Brith Canada said in a statement the shooting is “what happens when hate is allowed to flourish.”

“This wasn’t just an attack on two innocent people. It was the bloody consequence of a culture that has normalized antisemitic hatred under the banner of activism,” the group said in a media statement.

“Canada’s leaders must act — not with statements, but with consequences — against those who incite, radicalize, and poison our public spaces with hate.”

Liberal MP Ben Carr said on social media the killings Wednesday demonstrate “why added security measures are needed to protect religious minorities at a time of intensified hate — particularly against the Jewish community which is overwhelmingly and disproportionately the target of hate crimes in Canada.”

— With files from The Associated Press, Jordan Omstead in Toronto and David Baxter in Ottawa

2) Two Israeli embassy staff members killed in shooting near Jewish museum in Washington DC

Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press

By Maya Sweedler, May 21, 2025

Two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington were shot and killed Wednesday evening while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, and the suspect yelled, “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested, police said.

The attack sent shockwaves around the world and prompted Israeli missions to beef up their security.

The two victims, a man and a woman, were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum when the suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference.

The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, was observed pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by event security, Smith said.

When he was taken into custody, the suspect began chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” Smith said. Smith said law enforcement did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community.

“These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” President Donald Trump posted on social media early Thursday. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”

Israel’s reaction

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that he was “shocked” by the “horrific, antisemitic” shooting.

“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a statement.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said the two people killed were a young couple about to be engaged, saying the man had purchased a ring this week with the intent to propose next week in Jerusalem. Their identities were not immediately made public.

Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio that the woman killed was an American employee of the embassy and the man was Israeli.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was at the scene with former judge Jeanine Pirro, who serves as the U.S. attorney in Washington and whose office would prosecute the case.

The statement from Netanyahu’s office said he spoke to Bondi, who told him Trump was “involved in managing the incident” and the U.S. would bring the perpetrator to justice.

It was not immediately clear whether Rodriguez had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. A telephone number listed in public records rang unanswered.

Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI, wrote in a post on social media that “early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence.”

The influential pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera aired on a loop what appeared to be mobile phone footage of the alleged gunman, wearing a suit jacket and slacks, being pulled away after the shooting, his hands behind his back.

The shooting comes as Israel has launched a new campaign targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip in a war that has set tensions aflame across the wider Middle East. The war began with the Palestinian militant group Hamas coming out of Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, to kill 1,200 people and take some 250 hostages back to the coastal enclave.

In the time since, Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza has killed more than 53,000 people, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities, whose count doesn’t differentiate between combatants and civilians. The fighting has displaced 90% of the territory’s roughly 2 million population, sparked a hunger crisis and obliterated vast swaths of Gaza’s urban landscape.

Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher were inside the museum when they heard gunshots and a man came inside looking distressed, they said. Kalin said people came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realizing he was the suspect. When police arrived, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and repeatedly yelled, “Free Palestine,’” Kalin said.

“This event was about humanitarian aid,” Kalin said. “How can we actually help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel? How can we bring together Muslims and Jews and Christians to work together to actually help innocent people? And then here he is just murdering two people in cold blood.”

Last week, the Capital Jewish Museum was one of the local nonprofits in Washington awarded funding from a $500,000 grant program to increase its security. The museum’s leaders were concerned because it is a Jewish organization and due to its new LGBTQ exhibit, according to NBC4 Washington.

“We recognize that there are threats associated with this as well,” Executive Director Beatrice Gurwitz told the TV station. “And again, we want to ensure that our space is as welcoming and secure for everybody who comes here while we are exploring these stories.”

In response to the shooting, the museum said in a statement that they are “deeply saddened and horrified by the senseless violence outside the Museum this evening.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington CEO Gil Preuss said in a statement that he was horrified by the shooting and mourned the loss of the two people killed.

“Our hearts are with their families and loved ones, and with all of those who are impacted by this tragic act of antisemitic violence,” he said.

Israeli diplomats in the past have been targeted by violence, both by state-backed assailants and Palestinian militants over the decades of the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict that grew out of the founding of Israel in 1948. The Palestinians seek Gaza and the West Bank for a future state, with east Jerusalem as its capital — lands Israel captured in the 1967 war. However, the peace process between the sides has been stalled for years.

3) Canada summons ambassador after Israeli army fires shots near 4 Canadian diplomats

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By David Baxter, May 21, 2025

Canada is summoning the Israeli ambassador to explain why Israeli Defense Forces fired warning shots near a diplomatic tour in the West Bank on Wednesday. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney called the situation “totally unacceptable” and said Canada expects an explanation of what happened. 

“It’s some of many things that are totally unacceptable that’s going on in the region,” Carney said at a press conference on Parliament Hill Wednesday. 

The Israeli military said Wednesday it “regrets the inconvenience caused” by warning shots it fired as diplomats toured the city of Jenin.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand confirmed on social media that four Canadians were part of the delegation touring Jenin. She added that she is “relieved” that all of them are safe.

The minister said she expects a full investigation and accountability.

“I have asked my officials to summon Israel’s Ambassador to convey Canada’s serious concerns,” Anand posted on X.

A video of the incident circulating online shows members of the tour group speaking to cameras near a large yellow gate. Gunshots can be heard as the group hurries away from the gate and goes around a street corner. In one video, two soldiers can be seen pointing guns in the direction of the group.

In its statement, the Israeli Defense Forces said the group “deviated” from its approved route and soldiers fired warning shots to get the group to move away from an area it was not permitted to visit. The military says no one was injured in the incident.

Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s foreign minister, said in a social media post the situation is unacceptable and Israel’s ambassador to France has been summoned to explain it.

Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio Tajani said he is also calling on the Israeli ambassador in Italy to explain the incident.

Israel’s army said it launched an inquiry into what happened and will speak with the affected diplomats to update them on the findings.

Former Canadian diplomat Colin Robertson said that when diplomats go to observe a combat area, their safety is not guaranteed.

“Things happen which certainly are not probably intentional on the part of the Israeli government, but these things have happened in the past. We’ve had Canadian observers killed, for example, when we were doing peace monitoring in Vietnam and in other situations,” he said.

Robertson said that while these are “serious incidents,” he attributes Wednesday’s incident to the “warlike” conditions in the West Bank.

In a joint statement issued earlier this week, Prime Minister Mark Carney, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron threatened to impose “targeted sanctions” on Israel in response to its renewed military offensive in Gaza and the “wholly inadequate” amount of food aid allowed into the enclave.

The letter also stated the leaders’ opposition to “any attempt” to expand Israeli settlement in the West Bank.

Asked on Wednesday about whether the U.S. was supportive of the statement’s release, Carney said he advised the vice-president that Canada was “probably” going to say something. 

“It was a one-way conversation,” Carney said. 

Carney said the purpose of the statement is for Israel to ensure that adequate humanitarian aid gets to Gaza. He said in French that it’s up to the Israeli government to act. 

On Tuesday, the U.K. issued sanctions against what it said were three individuals, two “illegal settler outposts” and two organizations “supporting violence against Palestinian communities” in the West Bank.

While Britain also paused negotiations with Israel on a new trade deal, goods continue to flow between the two countries.

Robertson said he expects to see Canada issuing more declarations alongside European allies in the future.

Carney has said Canada needs to stand on its own, now that relations with the U.S. have soured over President Donald Trump’s tariffs and calls for Canada’s annexation.

Canada has sanctioned people and individuals for extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank in the past. The most recent round of sanctions was announced in September of last year.

Trump was asked Wednesday if he planned to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israeli military operations in Gaza and mounting international pressure for a ceasefire. The president did not respond to the question.

Robertson said he’d be surprised if the U.S. was not aware in advance that the joint statement from Canada, the U.K. and France was going to be released.

“Much of foreign policy, particularly with the United States, is conducted on the premise of ‘no surprises,’ and that’s what you do with your allies. You let them know what you’re doing,” he said.

“I think you’re going to see more (of) Canada taking a kind of strategically pragmatic approach to foreign policy and no longer moving completely in tandem with what has been our closest ally and partner in the United States.”

In a social media post late Monday evening, Netanyahu accused the leaders of Canada, France and the U.K. of “offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities.”

Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist entity in Canada, welcomed the letter in an online statement Tuesday, calling it “a significant step in the right direction.”

— With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington and Catherine Morrison in Ottawa

4) Israeli allies unleash strong rhetoric over Gaza, but actions so far are limited

Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press

By Jill Lawless And John Leicester, May 21, 2025

Three allies of Israel used words like “abhorrent” and “monstrous” this week to describe the country’s actions in Gaza.

The leaders of Britain, France and Canada — consistent defenders of Israel’s right to strike back at Hamas after its October 2023 attack — now express dismay at the high civilian death toll in Gaza and the monthslong blockade of supplies that has led to famine warnings.

While their rhetoric is remarkably strong, it does not mean tough action will follow.

What did France, Britain and Canada say?

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called Israel’s renewed Gaza offensive after a two-month ceasefire “wholly disproportionate.” They threatened to take “concrete actions” if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government doesn’t halt the offensive and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid.

They condemned as “abhorrent” some of the language used by members of the Israeli government suggesting the destruction of Gaza will drive Palestinians to leave.

Starmer said he was “horrified” by Israel’s escalation of the conflict, which has left more than 53,000 dead in Gaza, more than half women and children, according to local health officials, whose count does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy called Israel’s actions in blocking aid to Gaza and renewing its military offensive “monstrous,” while another U.K. minister, Jenny Chapman, called the move “abhorrent.” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Israel’s “blind violence” had made the Palestinian territory a “place of death.”

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. Netanyahu says Israel is still fighting to rid Gaza of Hamas and free the remaining 58 hostages.

Why are these countries speaking out now?

These longstanding U.S. allies have increasingly banded together since President Donald Trump roiled the world order by imposing widespread tariffs, disparaging the European Union — of which France is a key member — and expressing a desire to make Canada the 51st U.S. state.

They all have broadly centrist leaders whose aims and world views overlap. And all three are looking to be on the same page when Carney hosts a Group of Seven summit in Alberta in June.

Bronwen Maddox, director of London-based think-tank Chatham House, said outrage at the war in Gaza has been building — including from some officials in the United States, Israel’s strongest ally.

She said the statement by Britain, Canada and France may have been “accelerated at the political level by a perception that the U.S. is changing a bit, that Donald Trump himself is getting a bit tougher on Israel, specifically on telling it to let in more aid.”

Did the UK, France and Canada follow words with actions?

Britain suspended trade deal talks with Israel and summoned the country’s ambassador to the U.K., Tzipi Hotovely, in a bid to ramp up pressure on the Netanyahu government. The U.K. also sanctioned three West Bank settlers, two illegal settler outposts and two organizations “supporting violence against the Palestinian community.”

Maddox said the limited sanctions the U.K. has announced will have little impact, and are “clearly at the bottom of the ladder of possible steps.”

Canada and France did not announce any specific new measures.

Carney’s office said the government was “evaluating our options in consultation with partners.” Last year Ottawa sanctioned extremist West Bank settlers and stopped arms exports to Israel.

Why don’t they go further?

The leaders have had to carefully calibrate their words and actions in the face of competing pressures. None has labeled Israel’s actions genocide, despite strong pressure from supporters of the Palestinians to do so.

Macron must walk a tightrope between the passions and anger the war has provoked in France’s Jewish and Muslim communities, both the largest in Western Europe.

David Rigoulet-Roze, a researcher at the French Institute of Strategic Analysis, said France attempts to maintain balance between the two communities but is sometimes in a position of unstable equilibrium.

Since Oct. 7, “this has explained the oscillations from one side to the other, in search of that difficult-to-find point of balance,” he said.

France also sees itself as a defender of international law, and accusations against Israel’s conduct in Gaza have become harder for the government to overlook, especially as it is pressuring Russia to respect international law in Ukraine.

Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, also places a premium on upholding international law.

His center-left Labour Party has faced pressure from Muslim voters who traditionally have backed the party in large numbers. Labour lost several seats in last year’s national election to pro-Palestinian independent candidates after Starmer initially refused to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

At the same time, Starmer is sensitive to allegations of antisemitism within his party. He has worked hard to restore relations with the Jewish community that soured under his strongly pro-Palestinian predecessor as Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

What comes next?

The Financial Times reported that the U.K. is considering imposing travel bans and asset freezes on two far-right members of Netanyahu’s government, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Starmer’s spokesman, Dave Pares, would not comment on the report but said “we always keep our sanctions regime under review.”

Britain’s targeted sanctions, like its suspension of trade talks with Israel, are largely symbolic. The much larger EU also is reviewing its longstanding trade agreement with Israel.

“It won’t change Netanyahu’s policy, but it’s the entire European Union signaling that there is, in fact, a form of defiance toward the Israeli government,” said Rigoulet-Roze, the French analyst.

But the 27-nation bloc is far from united. Germany, a particularly staunch ally of Israel, did not join its neighbors in ratcheting up criticism. It has stuck to a line of recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself while also being critical of its conduct in Gaza and pressing for humanitarian aid. But it has steered clear of sharp rhetoric.

Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said the three-country statement, with its strong words but few deeds, showed international helplessness in the face of Israel’s actions. He called for a suspension of European trade agreements with Israel, an arms embargo and charges at the International Criminal Court for Israel’s political and military leaders.

“What is it going to take for European and Western leaders to get to practical work – because there are war crimes, there are crimes against humanity, there is a risk of a crime of genocide,” he said on France Info radio. “We can’t wait.”

___ Leicester reported from Paris. Brian Melley in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Sam McNeill in Barcelona contributed to this story.

5) (Updated) Netanyahu says Canada, U.K., France offering ‘huge prize’ to Hamas with Gaza letter

Courtesy Barrie360,com and Canadian Press

By David Baxter, May 20, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Canada, the United Kingdom and France of giving Hamas “a huge prize” by threatening to take action against Israel over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

His blast came after a joint statement Monday from Prime Minister Mark Carney, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, threatening “targeted sanctions” on Israel in response to its renewed military offensive in Gaza and the “wholly inadequate” amount of food aid allowed into the enclave.

The U.K. moved first on the threat, with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy saying Tuesday the British government is suspending free trade negotiations with Israel and has ordered new sanctions targeting West Bank settlements.

Neither Canada nor France have made any such moves at this time.

That joint statement came after Netanyahu said Monday that Israel plans on “taking control of all of Gaza” and will encourage what he describes as voluntary emigration to other countries — a proposal the Palestinians have rejected.

In a social media post late Monday evening, Netanyahu accused the leaders of Canada, France and the U.K. of “offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities.”

“This is a war of civilization over barbarism. Israel will continue to defend itself by just means until total victory is achieved,” Netanyahu said in his social media statement.

The joint statement said the three countries support Israel’s right to defend itself but call its military escalation “wholly disproportionate.” 

It also said the three countries oppose “any attempt to expand settlements in the West Bank” and threatened sanctions if Israel does not halt their spread.

Lammy said in a statement Tuesday that the Israeli government has a responsibility to intervene and halt “aggressive actions” by extremist Israeli settlers.

“I have seen for myself the consequences of settler violence. The fear of its victims. The impunity of its perpetrators,” Lammy said.

“The Israeli government has a responsibility to intervene and halt these aggressive actions. Their consistent failure to act is putting Palestinian communities and the two-state solution in peril.”

The U.K. issued sanctions against what it called three individuals, two “illegal settler outposts” and two organizations “supporting violence against Palestinian communities” in the West Bank.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs director general Eden Bar Tal said the country accepted United States special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff’s proposal for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages over the weekend, but claimed Hamas rejected it.