Israel accuses Europe of 'antisemitic incitement' after Washington shooting

By James Mackenzie

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused unnamed European officials on Thursday of "toxic antisemitic incitement" he blamed for a hostile climate in which the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington took place.

Israel has faced a blizzard of criticism from Europe of late as it has intensified its military campaign in Gaza, where humanitarian groups have warned that an 11-week Israeli blockade on aid supplies has left the Palestinian enclave on the brink of famine.

Saar did not name any countries or officials but said the climate of hostility towards Israel was behind the shooting of the embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim outside a Jewish museum in Washington on Wednesday.

"There is a direct line connecting antisemitic and anti-Israel incitement to this murder," he told a news conference in Jerusalem. "This incitement is also done by leaders and officials of many countries and organisations, especially from Europe," he said.

Saar declined to identify which leader or officials he had in mind. But his remarks came after increasingly tough words from Western allies of Israel including France and Britain, which joined Canada this week in warning of possible "concrete action" against Israel over its war in Gaza.

U.S. officials said a suspect who chanted pro-Palestinian slogans was in custody. President Donald Trump and a wide range of European and other foreign leaders condemned the attack.

Saar said the "global atmosphere" against Israel had worsened sharply since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Palestinian Hamas militants that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken as hostage back into the Gaza Strip.

Since then, Israel's air and ground campaign has killed over 53,000 Palestinians and laid waste to the densely populated territory, drawing mass protests across the world ranging from U.S. university campuses to the streets of European cities.

Last year, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take action to prevent alleged acts of genocide in Gaza after a case brought by South Africa that stirred deep anger in Israel.

Saar said: "These libels about genocide, crimes against humanity and murdering babies pave the way exactly for such murders."

(Reporting by James Mackenzie; editing by Mark Heinrich)