The killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington DC on Wednesday night is unconscionable. The victims, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, should be alive, and justice must be meted out to their assailant. This brazen act of political violence in the heart of the nation’s capital only underscores the obvious: all this violence – whether it’s in Washington DC, Gaza, Jenin or Israel, and whether it’s by bullet, bomb or forced starvation – all of it must end, and it must end immediately.
What we know so far is that shortly after 9pm on Wednesday evening, a gunman approached a group of four people who were departing an event at the Capital Jewish Museum that had been hosted by the American Jewish Committee. (It’s been reported that the event “focused on bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza through Israeli-Palestinian and regional collaboration”.) The suspected gunman, identified in media accounts as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, had been seen pacing outside the museum when he spotted the group of four leaving the building. He opened fire on the group, fatally wounding two at close range. He then entered the building, where he was detained by event security. He can be seen on video in handcuffs and chanting “free, free Palestine”.
