European leaders issued strong condemnations Thursday following the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington, denouncing the act as a barbaric expression of anti-Semitic violence.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he was “shocked” by the incident, which occurred late Wednesday. “There is no justification for anti-Semitic violence,” he posted on X.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called the attack “an abhorrent act of antisemitic barbarity.” He wrote on X: “The murder of two members of the Israeli embassy near the Jewish Museum in Washington is an abhorrent act of antisemitic barbarity. Nothing can justify such violence.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani “forcefully” condemned the shooting, describing it as having caused “scenes of terror and violence.” Posting on X, he warned that “anti-Semitism... must be stopped. The horrors of the past must not return.”
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also expressed shock, emphasizing that “there is and should be no place in our societies for hatred, extremism, or anti-Semitism.” She extended her condolences to the victims’ families and to the people of Israel.
