Israeli leaders express condolences, declare 'wake up' call against Muslim extremism
The Knesset will be lit in the colors of the French flag and Israeli flags will be lowered to half-mast in solidarity with France.
By LAHAV HARKOVUpdated: NOVEMBER 14, 2015 19:06The Knesset (photo credit: REUTERS)
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein sent condolences in the name of the Knesset, and said “the terrorist attacks must be a wake-up call to all countries in the free world and their leaders. Wake up and declare, once and for all, an all-out war on extremist Muslim terrorism, before the entire West turns into the scene of a bloody terrorist attack.”Culture Minister Miri Regev pointed out that the EU removed Hamas from its list of terrorist organizations and said that “in the eyes of Europeans, the murderous terrorist attacks in Israel and the massacre of innocent people are a legitimate struggle…[but] France said they would act to put Hamas back on the black list.“France didn’t know that in less than a year it would bleed and hurt as we do from the day we were founded, but it apparently did know that the threat of Muslim terror is not only on Israel, but on the whole world,” she added, offering condolences to the families of those killed.Regev expressed hope that the blood of the victims was not shed in vain and that the world will fight radical Islam around the world.“Israel is not the problem in the Middle East, it is the solution,” she said.Opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) spoke to French Ambassador to Israel Patrick Maisonnaive and told him that all of Israel stands with France.Herzog said the attack was “against liberté, against egalité, against fraternité,” and “satanic terrorism does not know borders and only courageous and assertive cooperation of the family of nations will eradicate it.”Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid said his heart is with the French people.“Freance is a proud nation and an old friend of Israel’s and our hearts are with them on these days, and we will help them in any way they need. As a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, I can say our cooperation with the French is closer than most Israelis know, and we will continue to work together to fight terrorism that threatens all of us,” he added.Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman said that “When we look at Europe of today, which is busy labeling settlement products when the Middle East is on fire in Syria, Ibya, Iraq, Yemen and other places, we understand the problem.
“The problem is that there is no political willpower or determination by the Europeans to deal with reality,” he stated. “Without strong leadership willing to go all the way, we cannot expect a real change in the results of the struggle against radical Islam.”Liberman also called for European Jews to make Aliya.Defense Minister Moshe "Boogie" Ya'alon expressed his sympathies for those killed in the attack, and said that France and Israel's shared values bounds them in solidarity."I wish to express our sympathy for the citizens of France following the shocking terrorist attacks that took place in Paris," Ya'alon said. "This attack struck the French people last night, but it was also an attack geared towards the free world and towards the values of freedom and democracy that we cherish about and fight for."Ya'alon added, "France and Israel share the values of freedom and we are determined to fight this Jihadist terrorism with our combined might."