'The media is to blame for the cycle of violence in Israel' bereaved father Rabbi Leo Dee tells LBC

17 April 2023, 20:03 | Updated: 17 April 2023, 20:12

Bereaved father Rabbi Leo Dee has blamed the media for the "cycle of violence" of terrorist attacks in Israel, weeks after his wife and two daughters were killed in a shooting.

Lucy, Rina, and Maya Dee were targeted in an attack an Israeli settlement in the West Bank on April 7 while travelling by car in the country which they moved to in 2014.

Rina and Maya Dee, aged 15 and 20, died at the scene which Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. Lucy died on April 10 after being in a coma following the attack.

Rabbi Dee told Andrew Marr on LBC: "The cycle of violence that some journalists refer to are caused by the media who understate the severity of the terror attacks and therefore encourage the next terrorist attack.

"The media has not been vociferous enough in condemning Palestinian terror attacks against Israelis and I am delighted that with the Cleverly Declaration... which is a letter by your bold Foreign Secretary which condemns terrorism outright.

"I qualify what you say Andrew: there is no war going on, there is a terror campaign."

When asked about his feelings towards the attackers who killed his family members after their move from London to Jerusalem, Rabbi Dee said: "I don't spend much time thinking about [the people that killed his wife and two daughters].

"I hope that they bring them to justice so they are not a danger to others but frankly it doesn't make any difference to me what happens to them."

Andrew followed up by asking the British-born faith leader how his surviving children were coping with the loss.

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Rabbi Dee told LBC: "[His children] have had their ups and down and I think that's only natural and I am hoping that they will get some psychological help in the next few weeks."

He added that he had received "tremendous message from [political leaders] of all sides; left and right".

Rabbi Dee recounted that "one of [his] Palestinian friends came along today" which, he noted, gave him "tremendous hope."

The car that the victims were travelling crashed after being shot at, before the gunmen continued shooting at close range, Israeli media reported.

Rabbi Dee was in a separate car during the attack and paid tribute to his daughters and their mother at their respective funeral in front of thousands of mourners in the West Bank.