JERUSALEM – Israel condemned the Nov. 24 killing of a Moldovan-Israeli rabbi in the United Arab Emirates, calling it anti-Semitic “terrorism” and vowing to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.

The body of Mr. Tzvi Kogan, missing since November 21, was found by the security services of this Arab Gulf state, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a joint statement.

“The murder of Tzvi Kogan, of blessed memory, is a heinous act of anti-Semitic terrorism,” he said, adding that Israel would do everything in its power “to ensure that justice is done and those responsible of his death are detained.” responsible”.

Mr. Kogan was a representative of the Chabad Hasidic movement, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group known for its outreach efforts around the world.

Israeli authorities have not provided any details about the circumstances of his assassination.

The United Arab Emirates, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020 alongside other countries including Bahrain and Morocco, has yet to confirm his death.

Mr. Netanyahu’s office said on November 23 that Israel was investigating Mr. Kogan’s disappearance in the United Arab Emirates, calling it a “terrorist incident.”

“This vile anti-Semitic attack is a reminder of the inhumanity of the enemies of the Jewish people,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said.

Mr Herzog said the killing would “not deter us from continuing to develop thriving communities in the UAE or elsewhere”.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called the killing a “cowardly and despicable anti-Semitic terrorist crime” in a post on the X social media platform.