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There is no excuse for the killing of two Israeli embassy workers | Kenneth Roth

Critics of Israel’s atrocious conduct in Gaza should be clear that their focus is the authors of that violence – not Israeli civilians

Israel’s campaign of bombing and starving Palestinian civilians in Gaza is inexcusable. It reflects a massive war crime, as the international criminal court has already charged, and arguably genocide. But it in no sense justifies the murder of two young Israeli embassy workers in Washington by a man who then chanted: “Free, free Palestine”. Nothing justifies violence against civilians.

The killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim occurred on Wednesday evening outside the Capital Jewish Museum, where the American Jewish Committee was hosting a reception for young diplomats. The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was detained shortly after the shooting. His social media accounts indicated that he had been involved in pro-Palestinian activism.

Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch (1993-2022), is a visiting professor at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. His book Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments was published by Knopf and Allen Lane in February.

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© Photograph: Will Oliver/EPA

© Photograph: Will Oliver/EPA

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Suspect charged with murder in shooting of Israeli embassy staffers

US attorney general says Chicago-based suspect believed to have acted alone in killing of couple at Jewish museum

The US justice department on Thursday charged the lone suspect in a brazen attack that killed two young Israeli embassy staff members outside the Jewish museum in downtown Washington DC with murder of foreign officials and other crimes.

Court documents released on Thursday charged Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, with the Wednesday night killings that left the US capital in shock and were condemned by world leaders as “horrible” and “antisemitic”. According to the filing, the suspect told police after his arrest: “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”

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© Photograph: José Luis Magaña/AP

© Photograph: José Luis Magaña/AP

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Kid Cudi testifies Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs broke into his home at sex-trafficking trial

Scott Mescudi said his Porsche was set on fire with a molotov cocktail on day nine of Combs’s trial in New York

Scott Mescudi, known as the rapper Kid Cudi, testified on Thursday in the federal racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking trial of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, alleging that Combs broke into his home in 2011 after discovering that he was dating Combs’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, the singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, and told the court how a molotov cocktail was thrown at his car a few weeks later.

Combs, 55, faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He was arrested in September, and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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© Photograph: Richard Drew/AP

© Photograph: Richard Drew/AP

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Two Israeli embassy staff shot dead near Washington DC Jewish museum

Police said a suspect was in custody after the shooting near the Capital Jewish Museum

A suspect is in custody after shooting dead two Israeli embassy staff outside a Jewish museum in Washington DC on Wednesday night.

The gunman, named by police as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, approached a group of four people leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum and opened fire, killing Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who officials said were in a relationship.

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© Photograph: @IsraelinUSA/Twitter

© Photograph: @IsraelinUSA/Twitter

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Shabana Mahmood considers chemical castration for serious sex offenders

Justice secretary expected to back radical sentencing reforms, including use of libido-suppressing drugs in England and Wales

Shabana Mahmood, the lord chancellor, is considering mandatory chemical castration for the most serious sex offenders, according to government sources.

The minister’s department is planning to expand a pilot to 20 regions as part of a package of “radical” measures to free thousands of prisoners and ease prison overcrowding in England and Wales.

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© Photograph: Gary Blake/Alamy

© Photograph: Gary Blake/Alamy

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