Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo was the only European leader to call him following the deadly shooting at te Jewish Museum in Brussels in which four people, including two Israelis, died Saturday afternoon.
Di Rupo called Netanyahu on Sunday to brief him on the details of the investigation into the shooting. The Israeli premier reportedly offered to aid Belgium in the investigation.
According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli Prime Minister told his Belgian counterpart that that his phone call was the only call he had received from a European leader on the issue of rising anti-Semitism on the continent.
In the call,the Belgian Prime Minister expressed shock over the murders, condemned all manifestations of anti-Semitism, and sent his condolences to the families of the victims
Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked his Belgian counterpart for the call and offered to cooperate with the investigation, the statement said
He added, “As of now, you are the only European leader who has called me on this issue. I am very disturbed by the growing anti-Semitism in Europe. There must be zero tolerance for anti-Semitism toward Jews and their state.
Earlier, Netanyahu said that “this act of murder is the result of constant incitement against Jews and their state.’
“There are elements in Europe that rush to condemn the construction of a flat in Jerusalem but do not rush to condemn – or offer only weak condemnations of – the murder of Jews here or in Europe itself and, even worse, welcome unity with a terrorist element such as Hamas, which calls for the destruction of the State of Israel,” the Prime Minister stated
“We oppose such hypocrisy, we protest against it, we will continue to always state the truth, we will continue to fight terrorism and we will continue to build up our state,” he added.
Israeli President Shimon Peres, who spoke on the phone with Belgian Jewish leaders, also issued a statement and urged all European leaders : ‘’Do not take anti-Semitic incidents lightly.’
“Each incident calls for a powerful response. European leaders must wage war against anti-Semitism, as it rears its head in many European countries,” he said.
Among the four victims of the shooting are two Israeli tourists, Miriam and Emmanuel Riva, from Tel Aviv who were visiting the Brussels Jewish museum
According to Israeli media, the couple, who leave behind a 15 and a 17-year-old daughter, were Israeli Foreign Ministry employees for the last four years, and were due to return to Israel on Thursday.
Belgian police have launched a manhunt for the gunman.
“We call on the whole population to help identify this person,” the Brussels prosecutor spokeswoman Ine Van Wymersch told a press conference on Sunday before three separate videos and still photos of the attack were posted on the federal police website. None have a clear view of the man’s face.
A fuzzy photo from inside the Jewish Museum showed the man standing with his legs apart and the Kalashnikov held in front of him during the spree.
Van Wymerrsch said the gunman “probably acted alone, was armed and well prepared.”
Police detained one suspect late Saturday but he was released and is now considered a witness.