Israelis on Saturday night gathered at the Rabin Square for a solidarity rally, organized by the French embassy in Israel, following the coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris which left more than 100 people dead.
France’s Ambassador to Israel Patrick Maisonnave, Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom, opposition leader MK Yitzhak Herzog and former President Shimon Peres were the speakers at the rally.
The attacks “constitute a new act of war against France”, Maisonnave said at the rally.
“France is paying the price of its fight against terrorism and against ISIS in particular,” he added, thanking the crowd for their presence at the rally in French, Hebrew and English.
“I thank the people and authorities of this country, Israel, for their flawless support,” said Maisonnave.
Vice Prime Minister Shalom described the attacks as “brutal” and “cruel”.
“For many years, most of the world believed that terrorism is only Israel’s problem,” he continued, recalling previous attacks in France against Jewish targets, such as the attack on the Jewish school and Toulouse and the attack at the Hypercacher kosher supermarket in Paris.
“When they told us that it’s a fight of Muslims against Jews, we said, ‘No. Terrorism is terrorism is terrorism, and terrorism can hit everywhere and against everyone,’” he warned. “Yesterday it was in France and tomorrow, unfortunately, it can happen in other countries in Europe.”
Shalom called for everyone to be united and decide to tackle terrorism. “If we do so, I’m sure that finally we will prevail,” he said.