During his visit to Israel following the tragic killing of two staff members from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis gave an interview to Arutz Sheva – Israel National News. The deadly attack, which occurred in the Washington DC area, prompted Akunis to address the broader issues fueling such violence.
Opening his remarks with heartfelt sympathy, Akunis said, “First of all, I want to send my condolences to the families [of the murdered embassy employees]. It was a very sad day, not only in Washington, [but] to the whole Jewish communities around North America and around the world.” He went on to blame radical influences for fueling extremism on American college campuses, saying, “I think that the terrorist was brainwashed by the Qataris’ propaganda among the universities and the campuses in the United States.”
He pointed out that the attacker yelled “Free Palestine” during his arrest. But Akunis warned that the slogans being chanted by students are far more concerning. “It’s not only ‘Free Palestine.’ The main problem among the students in the universities and the campuses in the United States is that they are shouting ‘Death to America,’ Death to Israel,’ and ‘Intifada Intifada.’ This is unacceptable, and I am so very glad to see that the new policy by President Trump” combats this phenomenon.
To help provide international diplomats with context and clarity, Akunis organized a trip to Israel for several consuls general based in New York. “It was my initiative to bring them on their first visit in Israel, consuls general from New York – they are from Argentina, Serbia, from Bulgaria – to visit here for the first time to see from up close the beauty of the State of Israel and to understand from up close what is the meaning of Samaria to our security, what is the meaning of Jerusalem to our people, and to see Tel Aviv and other places.”
While in Israel, the delegation met with individuals who had experienced the horrors of the Nova music festival attack firsthand. Akunis recounted the emotional impact these encounters had. “They were shocked,” he said, describing the “horrific hours” the group spent speaking with survivors and witnessing the aftermath of the massacre.
Akunis expressed frustration that the atrocities of October 7 appear to be fading from global memory. “If leaders around the world – this week – they are talking about a Palestinian State after October 7th, I don’t think that they saw even one picture, with all due respect, of raped women, of bodies, burned bodies. I don’t want to be extreme, but we saw horrific, horrific pictures yesterday. I think that they missed it.”
He emphasized the importance of confronting world leaders with the unvarnished truth. “We must reflect the truth to the leaders, especially in Europe, but not only in Europe, and say to them that it will be a huge prize to terror if they will support the idea of the establishment of a Palestinian State, not in Gaza, and not in Judea and Samaria,” he declared.
In his media appearances across the United States, Akunis has consistently highlighted the role of Qatar in funding campus activism against Israel and the West. “I think this is the main problem. The Qataris support with a lot of money all the mobs in the United States in the campuses, in the universities. These days, you cannot do anything without money, and the money is from Qatar. So I am calling from here, from Jerusalem, to Qatar to stop their double game.”
He accused Qatar of playing both sides, referencing their involvement in hostage negotiations. “The double game is: Now they are hosting the negotiations to release the hostages from the tunnels that they built. They paid all the money. So they are hypocrites and we can’t stand it. I am saying it time after time after time in the American media and to congressmen and senators,” he said.
Akunis ended by tying the Washington shooter’s actions directly to ideological indoctrination. “You saw the influence” on the DC shooter, Akunis stated. “This is a brainwash and it must be stopped,” he concluded.
{Matzav.com}