Murder of an Israeli Moldovan rabbi | Israel denounces “heinous act of anti-Semitic terrorism” in the United Arab Emirates

(Jerusalem) The United Arab Emirates announced on Sunday three arrests following the murder of an Israeli Moldovan rabbi, described as a “heinous act of anti-Semitic terrorism” by the Israeli government.

The body of Tzvi Kogan, 28, who had been missing since Thursday in the Emirates where he was based, was found lifeless on Sunday by the Emirati authorities, sparking indignation in Israel.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said she hoped the remains would be repatriated Monday for burial in Israel.

“Emirati authorities arrested the three perpetrators of Zvi’s murder in record time [qui peut aussi s’orthographier Tzvi] Kogan,” the UAE Interior Ministry said in a statement relayed by the national agency WAM.

He provided no details about the suspects or their motives.

Even before the announcement of these arrests, the Israeli government denounced “a heinous act of anti-Semitic terrorism”. “Israel will use all means at its disposal to ensure that justice is done and that those responsible for his death are held accountable,” he said in a statement.

In a video broadcast by his services during a council of ministers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also denounced a “despicable anti-Semitic terrorist attack” and promised that his country “will use all means and deal with the murderers of Tzvi Kogan and those who sent them.

The Mossad, the powerful Israeli foreign intelligence service, has opened an investigation, Mr. Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday, announcing the disappearance of the rabbi. He was already mentioning the “terrorist” idea, which he did not, however, substantiate.

The United Arab Emirates is one of the Arab countries that normalized relations with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords, promoted by Donald Trump during his first term in the White House.

Israeli authorities, however, renewed the warning to Israelis to avoid all non-essential travel to the Gulf country and advised citizens already there to take additional precautions.

“This despicable anti-Semitic attack reminds us of the inhumanity of the enemies of the Jewish people,” commented Israeli President Isaac Herzog on the social network X.

“It will not prevent us from continuing to develop thriving communities in the United Arab Emirates or elsewhere,” he assured.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz denounced, also on X, “a cowardly and despicable anti-Semitic terrorist crime”.

The discreet Emirates

For its part, the United States denounced “a horrible crime against all those who defend peace, tolerance and coexistence”, via a press release from the White House.

Married for six months according to Israeli media, 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.

Until now extremely discreet in this affair, the Emirati authorities have constantly presented Tzvi Kogan as a Moldovan citizen, hiding his Israeli nationality.

A federation of seven emirates tightly controlled by the ruling family, the Emirates prides itself on being a tolerant and safe country.

There is no official figure on the number of Jews in the UAE, but the World Jewish Congress estimates that between 500 and 3,000 Jews live there, most of them foreigners.

This figure likely fell to the lower end of the range after the start of the war in Gaza, triggered by the attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023.

A member of Israel’s Druze community and former minister, Ayoub Kara called the killing a “surprise.”

“Everything is beautiful here, everything is under control here,” Mr Kara said, speaking in Dubai outside the kosher market which he said was run by the victim and which was closed on Sunday.

The conflict in Gaza has heightened tensions in the Middle East and beyond.

In Jordan, a man was shot dead at dawn on Sunday after opening fire on security forces in the area housing the Israeli embassy in the capital Amman.

An investigation is underway to determine the motivations for the attack.