By: Tzirel Rosenblatt

The horrifying Yom Kippur attack on a Manchester synagogue has sent shockwaves through Jewish communities worldwide, sharpening fears of rising antisemitism and reigniting debate over how Western governments respond to Palestinian violence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking on Thursday, described the assault as a “barbaric attack” and emphasized that only strength, not appeasement, can ultimately defeat terrorism.

The attack, which left two worshippers dead and four seriously injured, occurred at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in the Crumpsall neighborhood of Manchester. According to Greater Manchester Police, the assailant rammed his car into congregants leaving Yom Kippur services before attacking them with a knife. He was shot and killed by officers outside the synagogue amid fears that he was wearing an explosive vest. Authorities later determined the device was non-viable, but the incident underscored the profound vulnerability of Jewish communities during their most sacred day.

As World Israel News (WIN) reported on Thursday, the Israeli leader’s remarks linked the Manchester tragedy to broader political trends in the West, particularly growing recognition of Palestinian statehood. “Weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it,” Netanyahu declared, echoing themes from his fiery address at the United Nations just a week earlier.

At the UN, Netanyahu criticized Western leaders who have recognized a Palestinian state in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 massacre in Israel. He argued that granting the Palestinians statehood just two years after the worst anti-Jewish pogrom since the Holocaust sends the dangerous message that “murdering Jews pays off.”

As the WIN report noted, the prime minister drew a direct line between Western concessions and the emboldening of terrorists who view violence as a viable path to political gain. His condemnation on Thursday, in the immediate aftermath of the Manchester attack, reinforced this view: that appeasement does not reduce violence but invites more of it.

The assault’s timing was particularly jarring: it occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, when Jews worldwide gather in prayer, fasting, and reflection. Hundreds of worshippers had been inside the synagogue when the attacker struck.

Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson of Greater Manchester Police confirmed that officers responded immediately, preventing what could have been an even greater massacre. “Thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and worshippers inside, and the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access. All those inside were safely contained until police were able to confirm that it was safe to leave,” he said.

Eyewitnesses credited Rabbi Daniel Walker, the synagogue’s leader, with saving dozens of lives by quickly barricading the doors to keep the attacker out. As the WIN report highlighted, Rabbi Walker’s composure and heroism prevented what could have become one of the most devastating synagogue massacres in modern British history.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog responded with his own grave statement, noting that he had recently written to King Charles III to express alarm at rising antisemitism in Britain and other Commonwealth countries. “Today’s tragic events have sadly demonstrated how real and tangible this threat is,” Herzog said, stressing that antisemitism must be met “with full force and without compromise.”

The World Israel News report pointed out that Herzog’s comments reflect an ongoing dialogue between Jerusalem and London over the safety of British Jewry. The timing of the attack, following his correspondence with King Charles, underscored the urgency of those concerns.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla issued a statement of their own, saying they were “deeply shocked and saddened” by the assault.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was attending a European summit at the time, cut his trip short and returned to London. He described the assault as “all the more horrific” because it took place on Yom Kippur, and he announced that additional police units would be stationed at synagogues across the United Kingdom to reassure and protect Jewish communities.

Starmer’s government, which has promised to take antisemitism seriously, now faces its first major test in the aftermath of a violent assault on British Jews. Jewish leaders, both in the UK and abroad, are urging the government not only to enhance security but to tackle the ideologies fueling such attacks.

The Manchester attack is not an isolated incident but part of what Jewish groups describe as an unprecedented wave of antisemitism in Britain since Hamas’s October 7 atrocities. As WIN reported, Jewish communities in London, Manchester, and other cities have faced harassment, vandalism, and intimidation. Posters of kidnapped Israeli children have been torn down, Jewish students told to hide their school uniforms, and demonstrators have marched through British streets calling for intifada and praising Hamas.

In the hours after the Manchester attack, Jewish leaders in Britain noted that the environment of hostility had made such violence not only conceivable but tragically predictable.

For Netanyahu, the events in Manchester are part of a global pattern. In his UN speech last week, he argued that antisemitism is spreading under the guise of anti-Zionism and that Western governments risk legitimizing violence by granting diplomatic victories to its perpetrators.

“Rewarding Hamas and its supporters with statehood,” he warned, “is to validate the killing of Jews as a political strategy.” The Manchester synagogue attack, carried out as Jews prayed on Yom Kippur, appeared to tragically confirm his warning that hatred left unchecked inevitably culminates in bloodshed.

The World Israel News report underscored this point in its coverage, saying Netanyahu’s insistence that only strength—military, political, and moral—can protect Jewish communities worldwide.

The impact of the Manchester attack has been felt far beyond Britain. Jewish communities across Europe and North America expressed solidarity with British Jewry, with many synagogues announcing heightened security measures for upcoming services.

For Jewish leaders, the attack recalled previous atrocities such as the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh and the 2019 shooting at Halle’s synagogue in Germany. Each of these attacks, like Manchester’s, targeted Jews during sacred moments of worship.

As the WIN report highlighted, many see these attacks as evidence that antisemitism is a transnational threat, requiring coordinated international responses.

Spain, Ireland, and several other European nations have recently recognized a Palestinian state, citing humanitarian concerns in Gaza. But Israel, as Netanyahu made clear at the UN, views such recognition as rewarding terrorism. The Manchester attack, occurring so soon after these diplomatic moves, has amplified calls from Israeli officials for the West to reconsider the implications of its policies.

“By legitimizing Palestinian statehood in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre,” Netanyahu argued, “Western countries are sending precisely the wrong signal. Terrorists interpret such decisions not as gestures of peace, but as validation of their methods.”

The World Israel News report echoed this assessment, pointing out that recognition of statehood without guarantees of disarmament or renunciation of terrorism risks emboldening groups such as Hamas.

The Manchester synagogue attack has left two Jews dead, four others injured, and countless more shaken within Britain’s Jewish community. But its implications extend far beyond one city or one country. For Netanyahu, Herzog, and Jewish leaders worldwide, the assault is both a tragedy and a warning: that antisemitism is resurgent, that appeasement emboldens violence, and that only unity and strength can ensure Jewish survival in an increasingly hostile world.

As World Israel News has reported throughout this crisis, the stakes are not merely local but civilizational. The choice for Western democracies is whether to confront terror with clarity and strength, or to signal, however unintentionally, that “murdering Jews pays off.”

Netanyahu’s message, sharpened by the bloodshed in Manchester, was unequivocal: “Weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it.”