As officials confirmed Sunday the deaths of two Israelis and a French national in Saturday's attack on a “Jewish museum” in the Belgian capital, Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to hail the visiting Pope Francis for his "determined stance" against what he claimed as “anti-Semitism,” which is often alleged by pro-Israeli elements in face of any criticism of the Israeli regime.
"We appreciate the pope's determined stance against anti-Semitism, especially in light of the growing hatred of Jews that we are witness to in these days," Netanyahu said, hours ahead of the pontiff's arrival in the occupied Palestine as part of a three-day Middle East tour.
The afternoon shooting shocked Belgium and drew condemnation from top European leaders, although Brussels said it could not immediately confirm whether it was "a terrorist or anti-Semitic act."
The attack, which took place in central Brussels, left a fourth person, whose identity was not yet clear, in critical condition.
But Netanyahu said the attack was a result of "incessant incitement against Israel by different elements in the Middle East and Europe itself," denouncing the latter for what he said was a hypocritical attitude towards the Tel Aviv regime.
"There are elements in Europe that rush to condemn the construction of a flat in Jerusalem but who do not rush to condemn, or offer only a weak condemnation of the murder of Jews here or in Europe itself," he claimed, referring to the steady expansion of illegal settlement construction in the West Bank and in annexed east al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The hawkish Zionist premier further slammed European authorities for welcoming the recent intra-Palestinian reconciliation agreement between West Bank-based Fatah and the Islamic resistance movement Hamas in the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip.
"We oppose this hypocrisy, we defy it," Netanyahu said.
Israeli regime’s President Shimon Peres also called on European leaders to act against "any form of anti-Semitism" which he claimed was "rearing its head across the continent".
MB/MB