Officials Blame Yair Golan’s Anti-Israel Propaganda for Washington Embassy Staff Murders

By: Fern Sidman

Tensions within Israel’s political leadership have erupted in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist shooting in Washington, D.C., where two Israeli embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were gunned down outside a Jewish Museum event. As reported by i24 News on Thursday, the attack has not only shaken diplomatic circles but also ignited a fierce domestic blame game, with accusations and counter-accusations underscoring the ideological rifts within Israeli politics.

Israeli Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu delivered a searing rebuke against Democratic Union Party leader and former IDF General Yair Golan, charging him with bearing responsibility for incitement that allegedly fueled the Washington attack.

“Yair Golan’s blood libels echo among Nazis and Israel-haters around the world,” Eliyahu declared, according the information provided in the i24 News report. “We are now paying the price for them in the deadly attack in Washington, and history teaches us that we will pay more in the future.” He added: “Yair, the blood of the embassy workers is on your and your colleagues’ hands. My sincere condolences to the families of the murdered.”

Eliyahu’s remarks follow Golan’s highly controversial statement earlier this month in which he accused Israel’s current government of “killing babies as a hobby”—a phrase he later clarified was directed at government leadership, not IDF soldiers. However, critics contend the comment has already inflicted damage by feeding into anti-Israel narratives abroad.

In a swift and defiant response, Yair Golan rejected the accusations and shifted blame toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration. Expressing condolences to the victims’ families, Golan stated: “I share in the sorrow of the families of the victims in the Washington attack and support all the foreign service workers of the State of Israel.”

But he did not hold back from criticizing the government. “Netanyahu’s Kahane Chai government is fueling anti-Semitism and hatred for Israel, resulting in unprecedented state isolation and danger to every Jew everywhere around the globe,” Golan said, invoking the legacy of Rabbi Meir Kahane, ztk’l and his banned Kach party, whose followers have inspired Jewish pride and a healthy sense of nationalism in Israel.

Golan vowed that change would come: “We will replace them and restore security to every Jew, in Israel and anywhere in the world.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also weighed in, echoing Eliyahu’s criticism of Golan. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Ben Gvir stated, “Unfortunately, the anti-Semites in the world draw encouragement from villainous politicians in Israel, who accuse IDF soldiers of murdering children as a hobby. The blood of those murdered is on them.”

Ben Gvir’s statement, reported by i24 News, reflects a broader concern among right-wing leaders that incendiary political rhetoric from within Israel is being exploited by extremist actors abroad—such as Elias Rodriguez, the Chicago-based far-left activist identified as the Washington shooter.

In the wake of the tragic shootings, Israeli President Isaac Herzog issued a forceful appeal Thursday morning, urging the public and political leaders alike to refrain from turning the incident into a partisan battlefield. His remarks, reported by The Times of Israel, come amid a growing domestic storm, as members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition accused political rivals of incitement contributing to the deadly attack.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, Herzog called for an immediate end to what he described as “ugly mudslinging” in the aftermath of the terrorist act.

“When it comes to the despicable murder in Washington, domestic Israeli political views have no significance,” Herzog wrote. “This was a criminal act of terror rooted in anti-Semitism and deep hatred.”

His comments were a direct rebuke to members of the ruling coalition who blamed opposition figures, including Democratic Union Party leader Yair Golan, for creating an atmosphere that fueled the violence. The remarks, widely circulated in the media, triggered a wave of political finger-pointing, threatening to overshadow the national mourning and international ramifications of the attack.

As reported by The Times of Israel, Herzog’s message sought to redirect the national discourse toward unity and collective responsibility, especially in the face of what he described as mounting threats to the State of Israel and Jewish communities around the world.

“On a sad and difficult morning of a very serious terrorist attack, and at a time when the State of Israel is facing many threats,” Herzog said, “I appeal to the public in Israel: Stop this ugly mudslinging. I am asking you to understand the magnitude of your responsibility at this time, to restrain your statements and do only what contributes to and strengthens the State of Israel and supports Jewish communities around the world.”

His words struck a chord with many Israelis who feel the political discourse in the country has grown dangerously divisive, even at moments of national tragedy.

The terrorist shooting occurred Wednesday night, just after Lischinsky and Milgrim left an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. According to i24 News, the attacker—Elias Rodriguez, age 30—was arrested shortly after the assault. Eyewitnesses reported that he was wearing a keffiyeh and shouted “Free Palestine” as he opened fire.

Rodriguez, whose motivations appear to stem from radical anti-Israel ideology, is believed to have acted alone, though investigations continue. His attack has prompted urgent calls for increased security at Jewish institutions and diplomatic missions across the U.S.

As Israeli society grapples with the political fallout of the Washington murders, the debate over rhetoric, accountability, and the impact of domestic discourse on global anti-Semitism is intensifying. The tragedy has become a flashpoint for broader questions about how internal divisions and public statements can reverberate far beyond Israel’s borders.

As the i24 News report indicated, the finger-pointing among Israeli leaders has amplified concerns about political polarization, with both the right and the left accusing each other of endangering Jewish lives at home and abroad. What remains indisputable, however, is the profound grief felt across the Jewish world at the loss of two young, idealistic diplomats whose lives were cut short by hate.

Authorities in both the U.S. and Israel have pledged full cooperation in the investigation, while Jewish communities continue to mourn—and brace—for what many fear may be a rising tide of ideologically driven violence.