The leader of Israel’s Labor party Avi Gabbay has been slammed as “grossly inappropriate” after he called on US Jews to move to Israel following the Pittsburgh shooting last weekend which killed 11 in a synagogue.

While people expressed their condolences to the victims of Saturday’s shooting in Pennsylvania, Gabbay thought of a different way of embracing them. He called on Jews in the US to “immigrate more and more to Israel, because this is their home.”

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The statement was met with outcry, with Deputy Minister Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the United States, taking a swipe at the opposition leader.

Avi Gabbay said things that should not be said because he simply does not understand. Through his words he adds insult to injury.

The politician simply missed the point in the whole story, Oren argued.

Gabbaya's suggestion also received little praise from people on social media, who blasted him as “ignorant” and as someone championing the same causes of neo-Nazis.

Me in @jdforward on why Avi Gabbay’s response to the Pittsburgh terror attack is historically ignorant and insulting https://t.co/4zCe7Su8dv — (((Michael Koplow))) (@mkoplow) October 29, 2018

Avi Gabbay, Leader of the Israeli Labour Party tells American Jews to do what the neo-Nazis wanted, which is leave the USADoes @adamlangleben & @l_attfield of @JewishLabour have anything 2 say or are they going 2 keep quiet about their 'sister' partyhttps://t.co/eIno9QSk3Zpic.twitter.com/OhOIgeYUNk — Tony Greenstein (@TonyGreenstein) October 29, 2018

Jewish Canadian politicians, for example, don't jump on every terrorist attack in #Israel to say "hey, it's safer for Jews in Canada than in Israel. Move here." It would be grossly inappropriate, as it was for Gabbay to suggest this. — Daniel Schloss (@5chlo55) October 29, 2018

Another went all the way to define Gabbay as a “moral coward.”

To be represented by moral cowards like Avi Gabbay? No thanks https://t.co/EjjSIeriiE — Abe Silberstein (@abesilbe) October 28, 2018

Fuck Avi Gabbay, and fuck everyone else pushing this disgusting line. Most of Eastern Europe and the Middle East had their Jewish communities just completely destroyed in the 20th century but that just isn’t enough for Israel. God I fucking hate these people. — Sam (@halaljew) October 28, 2018

On Saturday morning Robert Bowers, 46, stormed the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in the affluent Squirrel Hill neighbourhood, shouting hate for Jews and killing 11 worshippers. The US Attorney Scott Brady is seeking the death penalty for Bowers, something US President Donald Trump seems to be in favour of.

“When people do this, they should get the death penalty,” Trump said.