Israel’s Culture Minister Joins Israeli MPs in Calling for Death Penalty for DC Jewish Museum Shooter

Israel’s Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar believes authorities in the United States should pursue the death penalty against the alleged gunman responsible for last week’s murder of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC, he told The Algemeiner on Tuesday.

“I think this is an important message that all the antisemitic people should know — that there is a big price to pay if they do these kinds of actions,” Zohar said of his support for pursuing the death penalty against 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez. “I think this is maybe a good idea, to give a very, very hard penalty against this criminal. And I’m hoping that a strong action against him — or maybe against people that supported him or sent him to do that — will deliver a message that people should avoid this antisemitic way in the future.”

Zohar also said in an interview that he trusts that authorities in the US will handle the case in a very serious manner.

His comments come five days after 15 members of Israel’s parliament signed a letter sent to US Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her to pursue the death penalty against Rodriguez. The letter was spearheaded by MK Yitzhak Kroizer of the Otzma Yehudit Party.

“We respectfully urge your office to pursue the fullest extent of the law in prosecuting this case,” stated the letter sent on May 22, a day after the shooting. “In light of the gravity of the crime — its premeditated nature, the likely ideological motivation, and the victims’ diplomatic status — we believe it would be appropriate for you to seek the death penalty for its perpetrator.”

Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, were shot and killed on the evening of May 21 while leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. Rodriguez had flown from Chicago to Washington the day before the attack with a firearm in his checked luggage, according to an FBI affidavit supporting Rodriguez’s federal criminal charges. Surveillance footage shows him firing multiple rounds at the victims, and as they fell, he allegedly continued firing at close range, even as one attempted to crawl away.

Rodriguez yelled “Free Palestine” while being arrested by police after the shooting, according to video of the incident. The affidavit also stated that he told law enforcement he “did it for Gaza.”

The Chicago native has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, the murder of foreign officials, causing death through the use of a firearm, and using a firearm during a violent crime. The shooting “is a death penalty-eligible case,” said US Attorney Jeanine Pirro. At a court hearing last week, Rodriguez was ordered to remain in detention and his next hearing was scheduled for June 18.

Zohar condemned the murder while speaking to The Algemeiner on Tuesday morning. “We know that the antisemitism is spreading around the United States, especially in the universities and campuses, but we [in Israel] didn’t believe this kind of action could happen,” he said. “It proves that [antisemitism] is something we must take care of, and we must do something about it.”

Zohar was in Washington, DC, just days before the shooting to meet with Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and also Leo Terrell, head of the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, at the US Department of Justice. During the meeting with Terrell, they discussed the increase of antisemitic incidents around the world, foreign funding on university campuses, and steps that can be taken to combat antisemitism. Zohar noted that he has spoken with Leiter following the deadly shooting, and told The Algemeiner he believes Terrell and US President Donald Trump are dedicated to tackling the issue of antisemitism. The minister explained he is “optimistic” that the situation will “be better in the future” because of their leadership and efforts.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced heightened security at Israeli embassies worldwide as a preventive measure following the deadly attack on US soil. He also spoke after the shooting with Bondi, who said that Trump “is involved in managing the event, and that the US will bring the murderer to justice,” according to Netanyahu’s office. The Israeli premier thanked Bondi and Trump “for their clear stand against antisemitism.”

In their letter to Bondi, the 15 Israeli lawmakers said Lischinsky and Milgrim were “not random victims.”

“The preliminary evidence, including the statements attributed to the alleged assailant Elias Rodriguez, strongly indicates that this was a targeted and hate-driven act,” they wrote. The MKs said they felt “compelled to speak out” about the attack even though they are “fully confident in the integrity and professionalism” of the US system of justice. They are appealing to the attorney general “with the utmost respect for American sovereignty and due process.”

“We believe that the strength of the US-Israel alliance is built not only on shared interests, but also on a mutual commitment to uphold the values of human dignity, justice, and security,” the lawmakers added. “We thank you for your attention this matter and stand ready to support efforts to ensure that those who perpetrate such atrocities are held fully accountable.”

In a released statement, Bondi condemned the “brutal, antisemitic” shooting in Washington. “We will follow the facts and secure the most severe possible punishment for the perpetrator of this heinous crime, which robbed two wonderful young people of a bright future together,” she added.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven Jensen described the “heinous murder” as a “targeted, antisemitic” attack.

Source: algemeiner.com, Shiryn Ghermezian, May 27, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

Comments

Singapore executes three drug mules over two days

Singapore hanged three people for drug offences last week, bringing the total number of executions to 17 this year - the highest since 2003. These come a week before a constitutional challenge against the death penalty for drug offences is due to be heard. Singapore has some of the world's harshest anti-drug laws, which it says are a necessary deterrent to drug crime, a major issue elsewhere in South East Asia. Anyone convicted of trafficking - which includes selling, giving, transporting or administering - more than 15g of diamorphine, 30g of cocaine, 250g of methamphetamine and 500g of cannabis in Singapore will be handed the death sentence.

Florida | After nearly 50 years on death row, Tommy Zeigler seeks final chance at freedom

The Winter Garden Police chief was at a party on Christmas Eve 1975 when he received a phone call from his friend Tommy Zeigler, the owner of a furniture store on Dillard Street. “I’ve been shot, please hurry,” Zeigler told the chief as he struggled for breath. When police arrived at the store, Zeigler, 30, managed to unlock the door and then collapsed “with a gaping bullet hole through his lower abdomen,” court records show. In the store, detectives found a gruesome, bloody crime scene and several guns. Four other people — Zeigler’s wife, his in-laws and a laborer — lay dead.

Louisiana death row inmate freed after nearly 30 years as overturned conviction upends case

A Louisiana man who spent nearly 30 years on death row walked out of prison Wednesday after a judge overturned his conviction and granted him bail. Jimmie Duncan, now in his 60s, was sentenced to death in 1998 for the alleged rape and drowning of his girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter, Haley Oliveaux — a case long clouded by disputed forensic testimony. His release comes months after a state judge ruled that the evidence prosecutors used to secure the conviction was unreliable and rooted in discredited bite-mark analysis.

Oklahoma board recommends clemency for inmate set to be executed next week

A voting board in Oklahoma decided Wednesday to recommend clemency for Tremane Wood, a death row inmate who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection next week at the state penitentiary in McAlester. Wood, 46, faces execution for his conviction in the 2001 murder of Ronnie Wipf, a migrant farmworker, at an Oklahoma City hotel on New Year's Eve, court records show. The recommendation was decided in a 3-2 vote by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, consisting of five members appointed by either the governor or the state's top judicial official, according to CBS News affiliate KWTV. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Sitt will consider the recommendation as he weighs whether to grant or deny Wood's clemency request, which would mean sparing him from execution and reducing his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Vietnam | Woman sentenced to death for poisoning 4 family members with cyanide

A woman in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam was sentenced to death on Thursday for killing family members including two young children in a series of cyanide poisonings that shocked her community. The Dong Nai People's Court found 39-year-old Nguyen Thi Hong Bich guilty of murder and of illegally possessing and using toxic chemicals. Judges described her actions as "cold-blooded, inhumane and calculated," saying Bich exploited the trust of her victims and "destroyed every ethical bond within her family."

Afghanistan | Two Sons Of Executed Man Also Face Death Penalty, Says Taliban

The Taliban governor’s spokesperson in Khost said on Tuesday that two sons of a man executed earlier that day have also been sentenced to death. Their executions, he said, have been postponed because the heir of the victims is not currently in Afghanistan. Mostaghfer Gurbaz, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Khost, also released details of the charges against the man executed on Tuesday, identified as Mangal. He said Mangal was accused of killing members of a family.

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers carry out public execution in sports stadium

The man had been convicted of killing 13 members of a family, including children, and was executed by one of their relatives, according to police. Afghanistan's Taliban authorities carried out the public execution of a man on Tuesday convicted of killing 13 members of a family, including several children, earlier this year. Tens of thousands of people attended the execution at a sports stadium in the eastern city of Khost, which the Supreme Court said was the eleventh since the Taliban seized power in 2021 in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of US and NATO forces.

Utah | Ralph Menzies dies on death row less than 3 months after his execution was called off

Judge was set to consider arguments in December about Menzies’ mental fitness Ralph Menzies, who spent more than 3 decades on Utah’s death row for the 1986 murder of Maurine Hunsaker, has died. Menzies, 67, died of “presumed natural causes at a local hospital” Wednesday afternoon, according to the Utah Department of Corrections. Matt Hunsaker, Maurine Hunsaker’s son, said Menzies’ death “was a complete surprise.” “First off, I’d say that I’m numb. And second off, I would say, grateful,” Hunsaker told Utah News Dispatch. “I’m grateful that my family does not have to endure this for the holidays.”

Iran carries out public hanging of "double-rapist"

Iran on Tuesday publicly executed a man after convicting him of raping two women in the northern province of Semnan. The execution was carried out in the town of Bastam after the Supreme Court upheld the verdict, the judiciary's official outlet Mizan Online reported. Mizan cited the head of the provincial judiciary, Mohammad Akbari, as saying the ruling had been 'confirmed and enforced after precise review by the Supreme Court'. The provincial authority said the man had 'deceived two women and committed rape by force and coercion', adding that he used 'intimidation and threats' to instil fear of reputational harm in the victims.

Burkina Faso to bring back death penalty

Burkina Faso's military rulers will bring back the death penalty, which was abolished in 2018, the country's Council of Ministers announced on Thursday. "This draft penal code reinstates the death penalty for a number of offences, including high treason, acts of terrorism, acts of espionage, among others," stated the information service of the Burkinabe government. Burkina Faso last carried out an execution in 1988.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog