The head of Israeli diplomacy accuses European countries of « incentive to hatred », France condemns « outrageous remarks » – Liberation

The head of Israeli diplomacy, Gideon Saar, accused this Thursday, May 22 of European countries of« Haine incitement »a few hours later The murder of two employees of the Israel Embassy Near the Jewish Museum of Washington. On a video circulating on social networks, the man suspected of being the author of the shots shouts « Free Palestine »

“There is a direct link between anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli hate incitement, and this murder. This incentive is also the result of managers and officials from many countries and international organizations, particularly in Europe ”said Gideon Saar at a press conference in Jerusalem.

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu deplored « The terrible price of anti -Semitism and furious incentive (to violence) against the State of Israel ».

Tuesday, during a Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels, 17 member states (out of 27) of the EU – of which France – supported the Netherlands to examine if Israel respected human rights in Gaza.

This attack occurs while the Israeli government is increasingly criticized internationally for the conduct of its offensive in the Gaza Strip, triggered by an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023.

France firmly rejected the accusations of the head of Israeli diplomacy. These are « Perfectly outrageous and perfectly unjustified words », estimated Christophe Lemoine, spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. « France has condemned, France condemns and France will continue to condemn any anti -Semitic act », he said.

On the road to Nice, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, repeated that France had condemned « With the greatest firmness this abomination, this horrible attack which has targeted Israeli diplomats ». He said he also sent a message to his Israeli counterpart on Thursday morning « To tell him how much (he was) struggled with what happened, how much (he thought) of the families of these diplomats but also of all their colleagues at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs ».

« This blind violence obviously does not have to be » and is « Absolutely condemnable », added the French minister, stressing the mobilization of Paris « To ensure the safety of members of the Jewish community in our country ». « We deplore the explosion of anti -Semitic acts that we have found on national territory in recent years but we are fighting this explosion with the greatest firmness », He also assured.

The European Union and the countries of the Old Continent had also reacted in number after the shooting, denouncing an anti -Semitic attack. The EU diplomacy head, Kaja Kallas, said « Shocked » :: « Hatred, extremism and anti -Semitism do not have and should not have room in our societies »she said in a publication on the social network X.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has « firmly » condemned these murders, denouncing a « Odious act », « starting from the principle that it is an anti -Semitic act ». British Foreign Minister David Lammy said he said « Horrified » and still denounces an act « A terrible anti -Semitic ».

Update At 5:05 p.m., with the reaction of Paris.