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Israeli leaders respond with shock and solidarity following Paris attack
Israel’s leaders responded with horror at yesterday’s terror attack in Paris and expressed both deep sympathy and empathy towards the French people.
In the wake of yesterday’s shooting at the offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo which killed 12 people, Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin sent a letter of condolence to his French counterpart Francois Hollande. Rivlin said he was “shocked and saddened” and added, “On behalf of the people of Israel I would like to offer our sincere condolences to the people of France.” Rivlin also pledged “We stand with France in its determination to safeguard freedom of speech and the freedom of the press, that are central pillars of any democracy.”
In a statement, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed condolences to the French people and said “Israel stands with you on this difficult day.” He commented, “Radical Islamic terrorism knows no bounds” and grimly predicted, “these horrible acts that we have seen today in Paris, will not be the last.” Therefore, Netanyahu explained, “free societies and all civilized people must unite and combat this terrorism,” which aims to “destroy society and nations, to uproot human culture which is based of freedom.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman also emphasised that, “Israel sympathizes with France’s pain” and called on the world not to “allow terrorists to intimidate the free world … the West is obligated to stand united and determined against this threat.”
Meanwhile, against the backdrop of the Paris attack, Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett and Hatnuah head Tzipi Livni spoke at the same event in Rishon Le Zion. Taking aim at Livni’s support for a peace accord with the Palestinians, Bennett told her, “Tell them [France] that you make peace with your enemies, that they have a partner. Maybe they can divide Paris and give it to Muslim fundamentalists.” Livni responded saying that she stands with the French people against terror, unlike Bennett who is “not ashamed to dance on the blood of innocent people for political gain.”