Zionist Union MK warns Europe against letting in terrorism
“There is no doubt that the recent flood of refugees to Europe can be manipulated by terrorist organizations," says Hilik Bar.
By GIL HOFFMANUpdated: DECEMBER 12, 2016 10:38A police officer keeps guard as migrants arrive at Hyllie station outside Malmo(photo credit: REUTERS)
Europe must take immediate action to prevent refugees from Syria from engaging in terrorism, Zionist Union MK Hilik Bar said in a speech to the European Parliament over the weekend.Bar was the keynote speaker at a conference in Brussels on “Terrorism and Security: What EU can learn from Israel.” It was organized by the European Christian Political Movement in collaboration with the European Coalition for Israel and the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus. Some 200 parliament members, European Jewish leaders and other VIPs attended the event.“Most of these refugees are decent, life-loving people, who seek better lives. Most of them have suffered more than any one of us in this room could possibly imagine. Most of them are truly unlucky people, who faced a terrible reality, that made them run away from home and escape death, with the promise of a better life - here in Europe," Bar said."However, there is no doubt that the recent flood of refugees to Europe can be manipulated by terrorist organizations, and we’ve already seen tragic examples of these tactics. The Syrian civil war and the Islamic State are fueling the global jihad, and this gives some terrorists the impression that they can change the world – change our world. The clash of civilizations is here and now, and only by standing together and fighting this extremism can we show that they are on the wrong side of history.”A humane policy toward real refugees must be combined with a shrew counter-terrorism policy focusing on two main components: infrastructure and motivation, Bar said. The infrastructure to be targeted includes weapons, bases, commanders, soldiers and money, he said. They should be destroyed both at home and abroad, through a mixture of intelligence sharing and a strong, shared determination to take the fight to the terrorists and not wait for them to come to the people, he said.Bar, the head of the Knesset’s Caucus for the Two-State Solution, said Palestinian terrorism pushes away the Palestinians’ dream for a state of their own.“We have to make terrorists understand that terror is and will always be counter-productive to any goal they want to reach,” he said. “We should prove them that noble goals can only be achieved through noble means. To those who wants to live here, in Europe or the Middle East, instead of us, we should give a very clear and sharp answer – it will never ever happen! We have to fight them – fearlessly –and with all the means that we have. We have to fight terror with zero tolerance and seek peace in every corner we can.”Bar has presented his diplomatic plan at the European Parliament, the British House of Commons, the United Nations in Geneva and several state legislatures in the US, as well as Harvard University.Last month, he presented it at Japan’s parliament, the Diet.