Netanyahu tells French Jews at Paris meeting: Fight, fight and fight antisemitism

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with French Jewish leaders in Paris on Tuesday morning, as he began the second day of a three-day European visit.

Netanyahu told a delegation led by CRIF President Francis Kalifat that they were meeting during “a happy moment,” after seven decades “of ties between Israel and France.”

“These ties were critical in the first years of the state when our existence was not self-evident,” Netanyahu remarked. “It is never self-evident but always borders on the miraculous. We must act to ensure the miracle and France’s assistance in the first years of a young Israel — in terms of weapons, planes and additional cooperation — will be forever etched in the chronicles of the nation.”

Netanyahu added that the late Israeli statesman Shimon Peres, who was Israel’s primary point of contact with the French government as defence minister during the early 1950s, “spoke very often with me about those years and it was a great honour for both him and France.”

Netanyahu also spoke of a “human link, thanks to the glorious Jewish community here, which has contributed greatly to both France and Israel.”

“I am very moved by the fact that we have 180,000 immigrants from France,” the prime minister said, pledging to fight the “awful bureaucracy” newcomers face as they rebuild their professional careers in Israel.

Netanyahu also addressed the issue of antisemitic violence “in Europe in general and France in particular,” asserting that “these attacks have ancient roots even though their expressions are new.”

“Against this there needs to be one thing: Fight it. Fight, fight and fight,” Netanyahu declared.

He continued: “The main thing that must be understood is that it never ends with the Jews. Jew-hatred always spreads to a greater problem; therefore, it is possible to recruit others, for both moral reasons and the future of society.”

related

Subscribe to the EJC newsletter

Get the EJC newsletter, including the latest statements and news from the European Jewish communities, direct to your inbox.

European Jewish Congress will use the information you provide on this form to contact you. We will treat your information with respect and will not share it with others. By clicking Subscribe, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

browse by community