Netanyahu to French and European Jews after Paris attacks: Come to Israel, Israel is your home
Source: jpost.com
Prime minister say a special ministerial committee will convene next week to discuss steps to encourage immigration from France and from Europe in general.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached out to France's Jews on Saturday, following deadly terrorist attacks last week in Paris, one of which targeting a Jewish supermarket, telling them that Israel is their home.
PM: If we ignore terror, Paris attack will just be the beginning. (You would know Netanyahu!)
The France attacks could be start of a new wave of world wide terrorism Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday night as he promised French Jews they had a home in Israel.
He spoke to the media as he prepared to fly to Paris Sunday to join world leaders in a mass solidarity vigil to mourn 17 terror victims killed in France last week, including four French Jews that died on Friday during an attack on a kosher supermarket in the country’s capital.
“These attacks in Paris are the continuation of extremist Islam’s war against our free civilization, in the West, in the entire modern world and also in the moderate Arab states,” Netanyahu said.
“But if we ignore the true root of the problem, if we ignore the fact that extremist Islamic terrorism seeks to exterminate Western civilization as a whole, including the Jewish People, if we ignore this – what we are now seeing in Paris will be only the beginning. These are not frightening words or prophecies of rage, this is the simple reality and the time has come to recognize it,” Netanyahu said.
Comment: Netanyahu needs to apply some self observation here as to whom is at the root of thge destruction of the West and European societies. The question is, who has transformed European societies into what they have become today?
To the Jews of France he said, “The State of Israel is not just the place to which you turn in prayer. The State of Israel is also your home. This week, a special team of ministers will convene to advance steps to increase immigration from France and other countries in Europe that are suffering from terrible anti-Semitism.
“All Jews who want to immigrate to Israel will be welcomed here warmly and with open arms. We will help you in your absorption here in our state that is also your state,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu is among many world leaders heading to Paris. Those who will attend Sunday's solidarity vigil include Germany's Angela Merkel, Britain's David Cameron, Italy’s Matteo Renzi, Arab League representatives and some Muslim African leaders as well as Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, Economic Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett and on behalf of the Knesset former Shas chairman Eli Yishai will also attend the vigil to mark the worst assault on France's homeland security for decades.
Seventeen victims were killed in France three days of violence that began with an attack on the Charlie Hebdo weekly on Wednesday and ended with Friday's dual sieges at a print works outside Paris and a kosher supermarket in the city.
French security forces shot dead the two brothers behind the Hebdo killings after they took refuge in the print works and an associate who had planted explosives at the kosher supermarket in a siege that claimed the lives of four hostages, all of whom were Jewish.
The whereabouts of the partner of the Jewish deli attacker, 26-year-old Hayat Boumeddiene, remained unknown. A source familiar with the situation said that Boumeddiene left France last week and traveled to Syria via Turkey.
Netanyahu said that he had spoken on Saturday by telephone with Celine Shreki, a hostage in the kosher market in Paris.
“She is recovering. She told me about the terrorist’s inconceivable cruelty and of the heroism of the young Jewish man who attempted to seize his weapon and shoot him; he was shot by the terrorist and died about 45 minutes later.”
He expressed his sorrow for the murdered French citizens, journalists and police offices.
“Our brothers and sisters in the French Jewish community, we grieve with you over the terrible loss. I would like to send condolences to the families of Yoav Hattab, Philippe Barham, Johan Cohen and Francois-Michel Saada,” Netanyahu said.
Immediately after hearing of the supermarket attack on Friday Netanyahu held a conference call with Liberman, Foreign Ministry Director General Nissim Ben-Shetrit, Mossad Director Tamir Pardo and National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen. After the meeting, Netanyahu instructed that all possible assistance be granted to the French authorities and that security directives be underscored at Israeli missions and Jewish institutions.
On Friday night Netanyahu spoke with French President Francois Hollande and assured him that the “entire people of Israel are with you. Our hearts are with the families of the victims.”
Netanyahu offered France any Israeli assistance it needed and asked Hollande in turn to heighten security at Jewish institutions.
When he spoke with French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said it was important to cut off financing for extremist Islamic terrorist organizations and to take action against incitement in Europe.
“It is also essential to take action against countries that give support, shelter and passage to terrorism,” he said.
Netanyahu also spoke with CRIF President Roger Cukierman and French National Assembly member Meyer Habib.
On Saturday night before heading to Paris Netanyahu said of the attacks, “This is a wave of terrorism that is spreading a global net of hatred, fanaticism and murder. After establishing its bases in the Middle East, terrorism is now sending its arms throughout the world. If the world does not take action quickly, we will find this terrorism gaining momentum and increasingly striking at other centers of the free world and in other places.
If the world does not take action quickly, we will find this terrorism gaining momentum and increasingly striking at other centers of the free world and in other places.”
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, who will not fly to France, said "every terrorist around the world must know that whoever harms a Jew due to his religion, Israel will demand his head."
Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid said the events in France broke his heart. He said the Europeans were realizing that terror must be handled with determination and without compromising.
Shas leader Arye Deri called on French Jews to make aliyah. He said they would be received in Israel with love.
Liberman also urged French Jews to immigrate. “I have no doubt that the best security is aliya to Israel,” he told Channel 2.
From: jpost.com
