Latest news with #Kalin
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Turkish intelligence chief discusses Gaza ceasefire with Hamas's Khalil al-Hayya
Kalin and al-Hayya reportedly discussed the final stage of the US-brokered ceasefire negotiations, and Turkey's ongoing efforts to "end the humanitarian crisis and devastation in Gaza." Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin held a phone conversation with Hamas Deputy Political Bureau Chief Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas's negotiation delegation, Turkish Anadolu Agency reported on Monday. According to the report, Kalin and al-Hayya discussed the final stage of the US-brokered ceasefire negotiations, as well as Turkey's ongoing efforts—coordinated with the international community—to "end the humanitarian crisis and devastation in Gaza" and to ensure the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid, Anadolu Agency wrote. Anadolu Agency also noted that Kalin emphasized the importance of continuing ceasefire talks, which the United States, Qatar, and Egypt are mediating. On Saturday, Hamas said it had not rejected a ceasefire proposal presented by US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters. Naim said Israel's response to Witkoff's proposal was incompatible with what the group agreed on, adding that the US envoy's position towards the group was "unfair" and showed "complete bias" towards Israel. Witkoff slammed Hamas for making what he called "backward" changes to the US-backed hostage deal proposal.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Act of terror': Israeli Embassy workers killed in D.C. were at Gaza aid event
After gunfire erupted outside a humanitarian aid event for Gaza at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington late Wednesday, Yoni Kalin and his wife, JoJo, watched as museum security rushed attendees away from the doors and others who had just left came tumbling back in. Among those who came in, Kalin said, was a man who appeared agitated, who Kalin and others in the museum first took for a protester, and who "walked right up" to police the moment they arrived, Kalin said. "'I did this for Gaza. Free Palestine,'" Kalin recalled the man telling the officers in an interview with The Times Thursday. "He went into his, 'Free Palestine. There's only one solution. Intifada revolution' — you know, the usual chants." Kalin, a 31-year-old Washington, D.C., resident who works in biotech, said he still had no idea that two Israeli Embassy employees had been fatally shot outside. So when police started to pull the man away and he dropped a red kaffiyeh, or traditional Arab headdress, Kalin picked it up and tried to return it to him, he said. The event that night — which Kalin's wife had helped organize with the American Jewish Committee and the humanitarian aid groups Multifaith Alliance and IsraAID — had been "all about bridge building and humanitarian aid and support," Kalin said, and he figured returning a protester's kaffiyeh was in line with that ethos. "I regret that now," Kalin said Thursday morning, after a nearly restless night. "I regret touching it." Like so many other mourners across the nation, Kalin said he was having a hard time processing the "surreal, horrific" attack, and its occurring at an event aimed at boosting collaboration and understanding between Israelis, Palestinians and Americans. "I don't think him shouting 'Free Palestine' or 'Free Gaza' is going to actually help Palestinians or Gazans in this situation, especially given that he murdered people that are actually trying to help on the ground or contribute to these aid efforts," Kalin said of the shooter. "It's a really sick irony." Israeli officials identified the two victims as employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Yaron Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen and research assistant, and Sarah Milgrim was a U.S. citizen who organized visits and missions to Israel. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said the two were a couple, and that Lischinsky had recently purchased a ring and planned to propose to Milgrim next week in Jerusalem. U.S. authorities called the shooting an "act of terror" and identified the suspect as Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said Rodriguez was seen pacing outside the museum before the shooting, and was later detained by security after walking inside. Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI, said the agency was "aware of certain writings allegedly authored by the suspect, and we hope to have updates as to the authenticity very soon." He said Rodriguez had been interviewed by law enforcement early Thursday morning, and that the FBI did not believe there was any ongoing threat to the public. President Trump, who spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, and U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi have both promised justice in the shooting. Read more: 2 Israeli Embassy staffers killed in shooting near Jewish museum in D.C. "These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!' Trump posted on social media. 'Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.' Israel Bachar, Israel's consul general for the U.S. Pacific Southwest, based in Los Angeles, said security has been increased at consul facilities and at other Jewish institutions, with the help of American law enforcement and local police. The shooting comes amid Israel's latest major offensive in the Gaza Strip in a war since Oct. 7, 2023, when Israel was attacked by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The attack, launched from Gaza, killed 1,200 people, while Hamas claimed about 250 hostages. Israel's response has devastated Gaza and killed more than 53,000 people, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities. About 90% of the territory's roughly 2 million population has been displaced. Much of urban Gaza has been bombed out and destroyed, and Israel has blocked huge amounts of aid from entering the territory, sparking a massive hunger crisis. Protests of Israel's actions have spread around the world and in the U.S., which is a major arms supplier to Israel. Brian Levin, founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino, said that for decades, antisemitic and anti-Muslim attacks have increased in the U.S. when conflicts arise in the Middle East — and Israel's current war is no exception. "With the worst conflict the region has seen in years, with a horrifying loss of life and moving images of the suffering taking place in Gaza, what ends up happening is the soil gets soft for antisemitism," Levin said. In recent years especially, the spread of such imagery — and of misinformation — on social media has produced "a rabbit-hole where people can get increasingly radicalized," and where calls for retribution against anyone even tangentially connected to a disfavored group can drown out messages for peace, compassion and aid, Levin said. "We have unfortunately been caught in a time when the peaceful interfaith voices have been washed over like a tsunami, leaving a vacuum that allows conflict overseas to generate bigotry and violence here," he said. "We see that again and again — we saw that with 9/11 — where communities become stereotyped and broad-brushed and labeled in certain niches as legitimate target for aggression, and that feeds upon itself like a fire, where you end up having totally innocent people being murdered." Several organizations have described Lischinsky and Milgrim as being committed to peace and humanitarian aid work. Kalin said many of the people at the museum event were — and will continue to be. "This act of violence just makes me want to build bridges even stronger. I think we need to strengthen the coalition. We need more Muslims, we need more Christians, we need more Israelis, we need more Palestinians," Kalin said. "We need people that believe that peace is the answer — and that hate and violence isn't going to solve this issue." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
NBC News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Two Israeli Embassy staffers shot dead outside D.C.'s Capital Jewish Museum
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim had spent the evening at an event dedicated to bringing together war-torn and politically divided regions of the world when a man with a gun killed the soon-to-be engaged Israeli Embassy staffers Wednesday. The American Jewish Committee had been hosting an event at the Capital Jewish Museum aimed at bridge-building in the Middle East and North Africa. Lischinsky and Milgrim had exited the event when they were fatally shot around 9 p.m., according to Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, who shared news of the couple's pending engagement. A man who had been pacing back and forth outside the museum approached a group of four people and opened fire using a handgun, Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith said. After the shooting, the suspect walked into the museum looking 'distraught,' JoJo Drake Kalin, who organized the Young Diplomats event, told Sky News, NBC News' international partner. Kalin said she mistook the man for a bystander. 'I actually offered and gave him water, unbeknownst to me that I was actually looking evil in the eye,' Kalin said. 'There was commotion and a frenzy, but no one was aware of lives lost.' Police identified the suspect in the shooting as Elias Rodriguez of Chicago. When he was handcuffed and being escorted by police, he shouted, 'Free, free Palestine.' Smith said Rodriguez 'implied' he committed the shooting and told authorities where to find the weapon used in the shooting. 'Sarah and Yaron were stolen from us,' AJC CEO Ted Deutch said. 'Moments before they were murdered, they were smiling, laughing, and enjoying an event with colleagues and friends. We are in shock and heartbroken as we attempt to process this immense tragedy.' The shooting comes more than 18 months after Israel launched a bombing campaign and ground invasion in the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas militants, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and hundreds more were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's counteroffensive has killed more than 53,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. International aid groups and governments have also warned of the risk of famine in the enclave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered condolences, saying, 'My heart grieves for the families of the young beloveds, whose lives were cut short in a moment by an abhorrent antisemitic murderer.' The couple were planning a future together, officials said. 'The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem," Leiter said at a late-night news conference. Netanyahu directed security increases for Israeli missions and representatives around the world, he said. President Donald Trump also condemned the violence. 'These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen!' Trump said on social media. Kalin said the Young Diplomats reception, which was being held at the museum before the young couple was killed, focused on 'turning pain into purpose,' with the aim of bringing together young professionals, both Jewish and non-Jewish, to talk about bridge-building in the Middle East and North Africa region. 'We were wanting to counter the us-versus-them narrative,' Kalin said. 'It's painfully ironic that at a time we were speaking about bridge-building, somebody came in with such hate and destruction.' Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Jeanine Pirro, the interim U.S. attorney for Washington, will prosecute the case. Steve Jensen, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington field office, said his team was working to determine whether the shooting may have been hate-motivated or potentially an act of terrorism. CORRECTION (May 22, 2025, 7:30 a.m. ET): Because of an editing error, a previous version of this article misspelled the last name of one of the victims. She is Sarah Milgrim, not Milgram.
Los Angeles Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
‘Act of terror': Israeli Embassy workers killed in D.C. were at Gaza aid event
After gunfire erupted outside a humanitarian aid event for Gaza at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington late Wednesday, Yoni Kalin and his wife, JoJo, watched as museum security rushed attendees away from the doors and others who had just left came tumbling back in. Among those who came in, Kalin said, was a man who appeared agitated, who Kalin and others in the museum first took for a protester, and who 'walked right up' to police the moment they arrived, Kalin said. ''I did this for Gaza. Free Palestine,'' Kalin recalled the man telling the officers in an interview with The Times Thursday. 'He went into his, 'Free Palestine. There's only one solution. Intifada revolution' — you know, the usual chants.' Kalin, a 31-year-old Washington, D.C., resident who works in biotech, said he still had no idea that two Israeli Embassy employees had been fatally shot outside. So when police started to pull the man away and he dropped a red kaffiyeh, or traditional Arab headdress, Kalin picked it up and tried to return it to him, he said. The event that night — which Kalin's wife had helped organize with the American Jewish Committee and the humanitarian aid groups Multifaith Alliance and IsraAID — had been 'all about bridge building and humanitarian aid and support,' Kalin said, and he figured returning a protester's kaffiyeh was in line with that ethos. 'I regret that now,' Kalin said Thursday morning, after a nearly restless night. 'I regret touching it.' Like so many other mourners across the nation, Kalin said he was having a hard time processing the 'surreal, horrific' attack, and its occurring at an event aimed at boosting collaboration and understanding between Israelis, Palestinians and Americans. 'I don't think him shouting 'Free Palestine' or 'Free Gaza' is going to actually help Palestinians or Gazans in this situation, especially given that he murdered people that are actually trying to help on the ground or contribute to these aid efforts,' Kalin said of the shooter. 'It's a really sick irony.' Israeli officials identified the two victims as employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Yaron Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen and research assistant, and Sarah Milgrim was a U.S. citizen who organized visits and missions to Israel. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said the two were a couple, and that Lischinsky had recently purchased a ring and planned to propose to Milgrim next week in Jerusalem. U.S. authorities called the shooting an 'act of terror' and identified the suspect as Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said Rodriguez was seen pacing outside the museum before the shooting, and was later detained by security after walking inside. Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI, said the agency was 'aware of certain writings allegedly authored by the suspect, and we hope to have updates as to the authenticity very soon.' He said Rodriguez had been interviewed by law enforcement early Thursday morning, and that the FBI did not believe there was any ongoing threat to the public. President Trump, who spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, and U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi have both promised justice in the shooting. 'These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!' Trump posted on social media. 'Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.' Israel Bachar, Israel's consul general for the U.S. Pacific Southwest, based in Los Angeles, said security has been increased at consul facilities and at other Jewish institutions, with the help of American law enforcement and local police. The shooting comes amid Israel's latest major offensive in the Gaza Strip in a war since Oct. 7, 2023, when Israel was attacked by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The attack, launched from Gaza, killed 1,200 people, while Hamas claimed about 250 hostages. Israel's response has devastated Gaza and killed more than 53,000 people, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities. About 90% of the territory's roughly 2 million population has been displaced. Much of urban Gaza has been bombed out and destroyed, and Israel has blocked huge amounts of aid from entering the territory, sparking a massive hunger crisis. Protests of Israel's actions have spread around the world and in the U.S., which is a major arms supplier to Israel. Brian Levin, founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino, said that for decades, antisemitic and anti-Muslim attacks have increased in the U.S. when conflicts arise in the Middle East — and Israel's current war is no exception. 'With the worst conflict the region has seen in years, with a horrifying loss of life and moving images of the suffering taking place in Gaza, what ends up happening is the soil gets soft for antisemitism,' Levin said. In recent years especially, the spread of such imagery — and of misinformation — on social media has produced 'a rabbit-hole where people can get increasingly radicalized,' and where calls for retribution against anyone even tangentially connected to a disfavored group can drown out messages for peace, compassion and aid, Levin said. 'We have unfortunately been caught in a time when the peaceful interfaith voices have been washed over like a tsunami, leaving a vacuum that allows conflict overseas to generate bigotry and violence here,' he said. 'We see that again and again — we saw that with 9/11 — where communities become stereotyped and broad-brushed and labeled in certain niches as legitimate target for aggression, and that feeds upon itself like a fire, where you end up having totally innocent people being murdered.' Several organizations have described Lischinsky and Milgrim as being committed to peace and humanitarian aid work. Kalin said many of the people at the museum event were — and will continue to be. 'This act of violence just makes me want to build bridges even stronger. I think we need to strengthen the coalition. We need more Muslims, we need more Christians, we need more Israelis, we need more Palestinians,' Kalin said. 'We need people that believe that peace is the answer — and that hate and violence isn't going to solve this issue.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jewish museum suspect seemed ‘distraught,' confessed: Witness
(NewsNation) — Witnesses have described hearing 10 to 15 gunshots as two Israeli embassy staff members were killed near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Yoni Kalin, who attended an event inside the museum, told 'NewsNation Live' moments after hearing gunshots outside, two guests re-entered the building, alongside a man who would later identify himself as the shooter. Small plane crashes into San Diego neighborhood 'None of us knew at the time that the shooter was the shooter. This man clearly looked distraught. He was in a state of shock. His face was very pale,' Kalin said. 'People were sitting him down, checking in — Are you shot? Are you okay? — Giving him water, checking in. Little did we know he was the shooter in that moment.' Soon after, police arrived. Kalin said the suspect approached officers, said he was unarmed, and confessed to the shooting. According to Kalin, the man told police, 'I did this for Gaza, free Palestine. There's only one solution, intifada, revolution.' Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. Lischinsky was a research assistant, and Milgrim organized visits and missions to Israel. They were leaving a humanitarian-focused event involving more than 30 embassies, NGOs and religious organizations when they were shot. Kalin emphasized that the event was not political but aimed at organizing humanitarian aid for Gaza. 'I'd never seen or spoken to him. I think, unfortunately, he fit right in,' he said, adding that he's unsure how the suspect knew about the private event, as its location was not publicly disclosed. Whistleblower: EPA 'missed it' with response to Georgia chemical fire 'I think the moral of the story is that shooting people in a Jewish museum doesn't free Palestine,' Kalin said. 'Killing embassy workers who are trying to help doesn't solve the problem. Violence is never the answer. Terrorism is never the answer.' Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said the suspect, 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, had been seen pacing outside before the shooting and began chanting 'Free, free Palestine' after his arrest. Police believe there is no ongoing threat to the community. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
