[Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have arrested three people in connection with the death of an Israeli rabbi, Zvi Kogan, who was found dead on Sunday. Kogan, who also held Moldovan citizenship and was a representative of Chabad, a religious movement of Hasidic Jews, was missing since Thursday afternoon and was abducted from Dubai. His body was transported to Israel on Monday.
The UAE’s Ministry of Interior said it had started legal proceedings against three Uzbek nationals who were arrested in connection with Kogan’s murder. The authorities were committed to “swiftly take the necessary measures to uncover the details, circumstances, and motives of the incident.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel would “use all means at its disposal to bring the murderers of Kogan and those who sent them to justice,” calling the murder a “heinous, antisemitic act of terror.” However, an Israeli foreign ministry official said Israel would not allow the murder to sour relations with the UAE and would instead use it as an opportunity to strengthen ties.
The Israeli official said that “if anything, we will only utilize this event to further and deepen our cooperation with our Emirati colleagues,” adding that the murderers were “enemies of those who are striving to have more relations” between Israel and the UAE.
Meanwhile, the White House condemned the murder as “a horrific crime against all those who stand for peace, tolerance, and coexistence,” and said the US was working in close coordination with Israeli and UAE authorities to support their investigation. The UAE has a small Jewish community, with a population estimated to be in the thousands, and relations between the UAE and Israel have thawed in recent years, with the UAE opening its first-ever purpose-built synagogue in 2020.
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