USA - Capital Jewish Museum Attack Sparks Security Concerns for Israelis Abroad

Key Takeaways:

• As the death toll continues to rise, impatience with Israel is growing among the international community to end the conflict in Gaza. However, Netanyahu’s political and legal motivations, coupled with the US’ continued support for Israel, stand in the way.

• The recent killing of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington underscores the growing global threats facing Israelis, particularly those working in official roles. Risk mitigation strategies need to be taken to protect Israelis abroad from similar attacks in the future.

• If the war in Gaza were to continue and potentially escalate, the threat posed to Israelis abroad could increase. The extent of the media coverage of the Washington attack may inspire other copycats to undertake similar actions internationally.

Israeli Diplomats Killed in Washington DC:

On Wednesday 21 May 2025, two employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum at 2105hrs (local). After being detained by event security, the suspect, 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, repeatedly chanted “free, free Palestine”. Writing on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump immediately condemned the shooting as antisemitism, commenting: “These horrible DC killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that security will subsequently be increased at Israeli embassies around the world.

International Pressure Builds on Israel:

The attack comes against a backdrop of mounting international anger against Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Discontent has grown as a result of the deteriorating humanitarian situation, which NGO’s Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have referred to as a “genocide”. Over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of the conflict, including more than 15,000 children. The UN has firmly placed the blame in the hands of Israel for enforcing an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza, prompting accusations of weaponising food aid. Despite Israeli claims that aid trucks had resumed entering Gaza, the UN has said that no aid has yet been distributed.

In a joint statement published on 19 May 2025, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said they “strongly opposed” the expansion of Israel’s war in Gaza, threatening to “take concrete actions” if Israel fails to bring an end to the fighting. The statement also outlined their opposition to settlement expansions in the occupied West Bank. On 20 May 2025, the UK suspended negotiations over a new free trade deal with Israel, while the EU announced that it would review its political and economic ties with Jerusalem. Several days earlier, on 17 May 2025, tens of thousands took to the streets of London to mark the anniversary of the Nakba and protest against the war in Gaza. Some estimates put the turnout in the hundreds of thousands. With anger at Israel growing at all levels, some analysts, along with the Leader of Israel’s opposition Democrats party Yair Golan, warn that Israel may be becoming a “pariah state”. 

Hurdles Surrounding the Conclusion of the Conflict:

Unphased by foreign and domestic critics, Netanyahu has doubled down on the war, asserting that it will continue until all of Gaza is under Israeli control. As long as Netanyahu has the support of the US, with its veto power as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the international pressure on Netanyahu will likely fall short of triggering an end to the conflict. Many critics have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the fighting due to personal political motivations. With his coalition government being propped up by right-wing lawmakers interested in escalating the war, appeasing more extreme members such as Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich is a political necessity. Analysts have also pointed to the importance of Netanyahu’s court cases, including breach of trust, fraud, and bribery, as playing a role in extending the war. The court postponed his hearings by 14 months because of the fighting and reduced his testimony from 3 times to 2 times per week. Then, when Israel broke the ceasefire in March 2025, judicial proceedings were postponed again. Some analysts have even raised concerns that Netanyahu could use the war to delay the next election, scheduled to take place in 2026. While it is difficult to predict when this chapter of the cyclical Israel-Palestine conflict will conclude, one thing is certain: the US and Israel will decide when.

Obstacles to Ending the War:

Israelis have to be mindful of the locations they visit when travelling. As a consequence, the National Security Council publishes threat assessments for various travel destinations for Israelis. Historical examples demonstrate that international threats to Israelis are nothing new, with research finding that most Israelis felt unsafe when travelling abroad as a result of growing antisemitism. However, the Washington attack suggests that Israelis may be at greater risk in a larger number of countries than previously thought as a knock-on effect of the war in Gaza.

Unlike previous incidents, such as the November 2024 clashes between travelling Israeli football fans and pro-Palestine supporters in Amsterdam, the US shooting appears to have been premeditated and targeted. The attack could suggest that those working in an official capacity for Israel are at a particularly high risk. Additionally, the media coverage of the attack may inspire others to adopt a similar method. The police's confirmation that Rodriquez had no prior criminal record and was not on their radar underscores the challenges intelligence agencies face in identifying potential attackers.

In light of these developments, Israeli officials and nationals abroad are exposed to a heightened and increasingly unpredictable threat environment. Risk mitigation depends not only on enhanced physical security but also on the outcome of the current conflict in Gaza. It would be pertinent for governments hosting Israeli missions and other events attracting Israelis to review and bolster security measures. The embassy attack underscores a stark reality: threats to Israelis now span far beyond conflict zones and no location can be considered safe.