Por missing since Thursday in this Gulf country where he was based, the body of Tzvi Kogan, a rabbi with dual Israeli-Moldovan nationality, was discovered lifeless by the Emirati authorities, the Prime Minister's office and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consulted by Agence France-Presse (AFP). If for the moment no details concerning the place where the body was found nor on the circumstances of the murder or the identity of the suspects have been provided, the Mossad announced on Saturday that it had opened an investigation after the disappearance of the rabbi.
In a statement published this Sunday, November 24, Israel denounced a “heinous” act of anti-Semitic terrorism and specified that the State would “use all means at its disposal” in order to ensure that justice is done and that those responsible for the death of Tzvi Kogan answer for their actions.
Israel calls on its nationals to take extra precautions
While the United Arab Emirates is one of the Arab countries to have normalized relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020, Israeli authorities have asked its nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to the country. Gulf and advised citizens already there to take additional precautions.
“This vile anti-Semitic attack reminds us of the inhumanity of the enemies of the Jewish people,” responded Israeli President Isaac Herzog on his X account (formerly Twitter). “It will not stop us from continuing to develop thriving communities in the UAE or elsewhere,” he added.
ALSO READ France at a time of uninhibited anti-Semitism
To Discover
Kangaroo of the day
Answer
Married for six months, Rabbi Tzvi Kogan was an emissary of Chabad-Lubavitch, an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic movement with global missionary commitment aimed at strengthening Jewish identity and bringing Jews closer to their faith. In a message on X, the movement paid tribute to the deceased. Expressing its “great pain,” Chabad-Lubavitch said the rabbi was “murdered by terrorists after being kidnapped on Thursday.”
For its part, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry said it was in contact with the country's authorities to “clarify the circumstances of this case”. Extremely discreet about this murder which they did not comment on, the Emirati authorities indicated that they had “immediately launched search operations” on Saturday to find Tzvi Kogan, presented as Moldovan without specifying his dual Israeli nationality.
France
