2 Israeli Embassy Workers Killed in 'Horrific' Washington, DC Shooting

Jewish Voice for Peace on Thursday was among those condemning the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington, D.C., as federal agents investigated at the suspected shooter's home in Chicago.

"We are grounded first and foremost in the belief that all human life is precious, which is precisely why we are struggling for a world in which all people can live in safety and dignity," said the Jewish-led Palestinian rights group in a post on social media.

The group joined in mourning the killing of Yaron Lischinsky, a research assistant, and Sarah Milgrim, who organized trips to Israel for the embassy. The two staffers, aged 30 and 26, respectively, were a couple and were planning to get engaged in the coming days.

Police said the suspect, 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, was seen pacing in front of the Capital Jewish Museum at around 9:00 pm Eastern time Wednesday before approaching four people who were leaving an event organized by AJC Access, part of the American Jewish Committee.

IsraelAID, a humanitarian group that was represented by speakers at the event, said the gathering was "focused on bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza through Israeli-Palestinian and regional collaboration."

Rodriguez allegedly shot the two victims before entering the museum where he was detained by security guards.

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called the murders "horrifying."

"Antisemitism and violence have no place in our country," said Casar. "I condemn such hate and violence in all its forms."

Pamela Smith, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, told reporters that Rodriguez shouted, "Free, free Palestine!" after he was taken into custody.

The New York Times reported that pro-Palestinian signs were displayed in the apartment where Rodriguez is believed to live and that he attended a protest in support of Palestinian rights in 2023, after Israel began bombarding Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack.

A manifesto obtained by journalist Ken Klippenstein suggested the suspect was motivated by anger over Israel's U.S.-backed attacks on Gaza. Klippenstein said he believed the document to be authentic "for several reasons, including the fact that it is signed by Rodriguez and timestamped well before he was named by law enforcement or any media."

Journalist Mehdi Hasan of Zeteo said that if the suspect was indeed motivated by Israel's actions in Gaza, the killing of the two staffers "solves nothing and helps zero Palestinians."

Right-wing politicians in the U.S. and Israel were quick to pin blame for the shooting on European leaders who have spoken out against Israel's "supposed crimes against humanity" and thousands of U.S. college students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

If the manifesto is genuine, said Mitchell Plitnick of ReThinking Foreign Policy, "we need to grapple with this. This was an immoral act of murder, and one that will greatly serve Israel's genocidal agenda, not the struggle for Palestinian rights and freedom. It must not be allowed to inspire others."

"One thing this manifesto establishes, if it is indeed proven to be genuine," said Plitnick, "is that this bloody, heinous, self-defeating, and futile action had absolutely nothing to do with antisemitism."

Progressive strategist Waleed Shahid called the shooting "a horrific and unjust act of violence against innocent people."

"It does nothing to aid Palestinians in Gaza—and only hands authoritarians another excuse to crack down," he said. "When you take one life, it is like killing all of humanity."