Tel Aviv couple to be laid to rest; Brussels shooter still at large

Funeral to take place Tuesday afternoon in Tel Aviv; MK Dov Lipman tells Belgian envoy that shooting result of growing anti-Israel rhetoric in Europe.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
The bodies of Emanuel and Mira Riva are returned to Israel (photo credit: GPO)
The bodies of Emanuel and Mira Riva are returned to Israel
(photo credit: GPO)
The bodies of Emanuel and Mira Riva, the Israeli couple killed in Saturday's shooting at the Brussels Jewish Museum, will be laid to rest at Tel Aviv’s Kiryat Shaul cemetery at 5 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, as investigators continue searching for the perpetrator still at large.
A lone gunman entered the museum with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and opened fire, killing the Rivas and one other, injuring a fourth person. The fourth victim died on Monday.
Despite recent debate among Belgian authorities as to whether the attack was an act of terrorism or a professional hit, a police statement said that Belgian authorities were currently treating the incident as a terror attack.
Prosecutors said they were investigating all scenarios and would not speculate on the identity or motive of the gunman.
During an aliya committee meeting discussing the deadly attack, MK Rabbi Dov Lipman told Belgian envoy to Israel John Cornet d'Elzius that the shooting, along with the results of the European parliamentary elections, is a manifestation of growing anti-Semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric in Europe.
"We cannot view this attack in Brussels as an isolated event and simply respond about a need for more security," he said. "If your leaders speak about de-legitimization of Israel and use exaggerated and even inciteful terms relating to Israel's policies, that breeds these attacks and ideologies." 
The Rivas had traveled to Brussels on vacation and were only a few days away from returning to Tel Aviv when they were gunned down.
An Israeli official said Emanuel Riva had formerly worked for Nativ, a government agency that played a covert role in fostering Jewish immigration from the former Soviet Union.
The couple is survived by two teenage daughters, aged 17 and 15.
Sam Sokol, Reuters, and JTA contributed to this report.