France’s leaders on Monday urged French Jews to stay in France as they dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for Jews in Europe to return “home” to Israel due to anti-Semitism on the continent.
"Jews have their place in Europe and in particular in France,” President Francois Hollande declared one day after around 300 Jewish tombs were desecrated in Sarre-Union, in Alsace, eastern France.
The desecration of the Jewish cemetery followed the deaths of two people in shootings in Copenhagen this weekend that targeted a cultural centre and the Danish capital’s Great Synagogue. Local police say the strike may have been inspired by last month's Paris attacks in which Islamists killed 17, including four French Jews in a kosher supermarket.
Following the Copenhagen attacks, Benjamin Netanyahu called on European Jewry to move to Israel. "Israel is your home. We are preparing and calling for the absorption of mass immigration from Europe," he said in a statement.
"To the Jews of Europe and to the Jews of the world I say that Israel is waiting for you with open arms," he went on.
"Extremist Islamic terrorism has struck Europe again... Jews have been murdered again on European soil only because they were Jews," he said.
On Sunday, Israel's government approved a $ 45 million (39,4 million euros) immigration plan aimed at assisting French, Belgian and Ukrainian Jews.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls criticized the Israeli Prime Minister’s statement. "I regret Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks. Being in the middle of an election campaign doesn't mean you allow yourself to make just any type of statement. The place for French Jews is France."
Israel is to hold a general election on March 17.
“France is wounded with you and France does not want you to leave”, said Manuel Valls.
In an interview with RTL, the Prime Minister urged to unite to fight what he called ‘’islamo-facism’’ ‘’since this is the way to name it’’.
‘’Do not give in to fear, nor to division must simultaneously ask all problems. combating terrorism, mobilize society around secularism, fighting anti-Semitism. "
"We need Islam in France assumes he takes full responsibility, that's what also require the vast majority of our Muslim compatriots," said Manuel Valls.
In this context, it should be noted the scandalous comment made by Roland Dumas, a former Foreign Minister and former president of the Constitutional Council, who described Manuel Valls as being "probably under Jewish influence’’.
"He has personal alliances that make it a prejudice. Everyone knows he is married with someone, someone very well indeed, which has influence on him," Dumas said. Valls’ wife is Jewish.