"The chain of attacks from Paris to San Bernardino to Istanbul to the Ivory Coast and now to Brussels, and the daily attacks in Israel -- this is one continuous assault on all of us," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday in an address delivered via a satellite feed from his office in Jerusalem to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington. The prime minister noted, "In all these cases the terrorists have no resolvable grievances. It's not as if we could offer them Brussels, or Istanbul, or California, or even the West Bank. That won't satisfy their grievances. Because what they seek is our utter destruction and their total domination. Their basic demand is that we should simply disappear. Well, my friends, that's not going to happen. The only way to defeat these terrorists is to join together and fight them together. That's how we'll defeat terrorism -- with political unity and with moral clarity." Holding in his hand a replica of an arrow, Netanyahu said: "Two weeks ago, I visited Yodfat in northern Israel. It was there, 2,000 years ago, that the Romans began their military campaign against the Jews. I'm holding in my hand right now an exact replica of an arrow found at Yodfat -- one of thousands used by the Romans in their war to crush Jewish independence. Yet two millennia later, the Jewish people are once again free and sovereign in our ancient homeland. And in rebuilding our land, our state, our economy, our army, our science, our culture, we've achieved remarkable successes." President Reuven Rivlin sent a condolence letter to Belgian King Philippe on Tuesday. "We have heard with horror and shock of the vicious terrorist attacks in Brussels that have taken the lives of so many innocent people and injured so many more," Rivlin said. "Our hearts and thoughts are with the people of Belgium at this difficult time. Sadly, we, in Israel, are no strangers to the horror and grief that follows such murderous attacks and can understand the pain you all feel now. "Terrorism is terrorism is terrorism, whether it takes place in Brussels, Paris, Istanbul or Jerusalem. These horrific events once again prove that we must all stand united in the fight against those who seek to use violence to stifle individual liberty and freedom of thought and belief, and continue to destroy the lives of so many. I want to emphasize that this struggle that we all share, is against this violent terrorism that continues to kill and maim so many, it is not a fight against Islam." Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon (Likud) on Tuesday called the battle against radical Islam "World War III." "Western culture in recent years has been under an indiscriminate and uninhibited radical Islamic terror assault, whose goal is to harm and disrupt the lives of citizens of the free world," Ya'alon said. Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) called for a united global anti-terror campaign to which Israel could contribute. He said additional measures of deterrence and prevention needed to be implemented both in Israel and Europe. Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) said, "We will continue to fight in the public diplomacy realm until the message sinks in -- terror is terror everywhere." Likud MK Nava Boker blamed Tuesday's attacks on the Belgian government's policies of appeasement. "Instead of pointing to radical Islam as the No. 1 source of global terrorism, the Belgian interior minister preferred to claim that more needs to be done to make young Muslims 'feel at home.' Belgium must close its borders, expel the inciters and stop Muslim immigration into the country." Science, Technology and Space Minister Ofir Akunis (Likud) said: "Many in Europe have preferred to occupy themselves with the folly of condemning Israel, labelling products and boycotts. In this time, underneath the noses of the continent's inhabitants, thousands of extremist Islamic terror cells have grown. There were those who repressed and mocked whoever tried to give warning. Unfortunately, reality has struck with force." Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) slammed those like Boker and Akunis who made critical comments about Europe in the wake of the attacks. "Enough already!" Herzog said. "Stop this contemptible talk. Where did you get the chutzpah to degrade innocent victims of terror? Where do you get this miserable cynicism from? This is a distortion of the most basic human morality. This is a painful moment internationally that obliges all people to identify with the bereaved families, whoever they are, and wish the wounded a speedy recovery." Joint Arab List MK Dov Khenin said: "Gloating over the pain felt by Europeans is not dealing with terrorism. Neither is saying, 'We told you so.' And neither is the false and dangerous labeling of entire populations as enemies."
Credit: Reuters
On Tuesday night, Netanyahu spoke by phone with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. Netanyahu expressed his condolences over the attacks in Brussels and offered Israeli assistance in combatting terrorism. The two leaders agreed to meet soon.
