U.S. shooting: Isreali foreign minister blames some European leaders

Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, said on Thursday that some European leaders were partly responsibility for the killing of two members of  staff  from his country’s embassy in Washington.

“There is a direct line connecting anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement to this murder,” Saar said at a press conference in Jerusalem.

“This incitement is also done by leaders and officials of many countries and international organisations, especially from Europe.”

He did not name specific countries or organisations.

Saar said leading politicians around the world believe the narratives of terrorist organisations such as the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, including claims that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s military consistently has said that it is operating in the Gaza Strip in accordance with international law.

However, human rights organisations such as Amnesty International have accused Israel of war crimes.

“Hamas started the war on October 7, is solely responsible for the war’s continuation, and is solely responsible for the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Saar said.

Israel has faced significant international criticism recently due to its new Gaza offensive and its nearly three-month blockade of aid deliveries to the area.

The leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada recently threatened Israel with “concrete measures” over what they described as a “completely disproportionate escalation” in the Gaza Strip, though they did not provide further details.

French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had “emboldened the forces of terror,” wrote Israel’s Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli on the platform X, without elaborating on this claim.

“We must hold to account the leaders who promote this hatred,” the right-wing nationalist politician wrote on X.

The United Kingdom has already suspended talks on a free trade agreement with Israel, while the EU is reviewing its agreement with the Jewish state. (dpa/NAN)