The devastating blow dealt by the Islamic State group to Paris on Friday, painful is it may be, should not have come as a surprise to anyone. The writing was on the wall, and anyone following this terrorist group's activities since it has set on its journey to establish a caliphate in the heart of the Middle East, knew that a terrorist attack seeking to replicate 9/11 was only a matter of time. The ground base and considerable financial resources provided by the jihadi group's terrorist state to those planning terrorist attacks, have made all the difference. It is these elements that have enabled Islamic State to down a Russian passenger plane on Oct. 31, killing its 224 passengers and crew, and to carry out multiple terrorist attacks in the French capital, the heart of Europe, claiming the lives of some 130 people. Accessories, before and after the fact, are necessary when carrying out these types of attacks: In Sinai, it is Islamic State offshoot Wilayat Sinai that is doing the group's bidding against the Egyptian army as well as the Russians; while in France there is local Islamist infrastructure, which enjoys substantial popular support. A recent survey among the Muslim community in Paris has found 20% of its members sympathize with the jihadi group, so it should not come as a surprise when some of them translate their support into actions. One can always rationalize, as the French often do, saying that the terrorist attacks against Israel stem from the Palestinians' distress, and that it is this frustration that has spawned an atmosphere of terror. By that logic, one could claim that France has brought Friday's terrible carnage on itself by deciding to join the Western coalition fighting Islamic State in West Africa, Syria and Iraq, or that Russian President Vladimir Putin's military involvement in Syria is the reason MetroJet Flight 9268 crashed in the Sinai Desert. Truth be told, insurgent groups such as Islamic State do need no excuse, as a jihad against the West is ingrained in their worldview. The task before the international community is twofold: On the one hand, it must eliminate Islamic State as a political entity stretching its terrorist tentacles in all directions, which means employing more than ineffective airstrikes to seize the territories under the group's control; while on the other hand, it must tenaciously fight the grip Islamic State is trying to establish in Europe and in France. The latter's desire to integrate the large Muslim community in the French way of life, and fighting radical elements threatening it from within are not mutually exclusive. One can only hope that the French will not practice what it usually preaches to Israel in these cases -- to understand terrorism and seek a compromise with those employing it. Instead, France must follow Israel's example and wage a relentless war against terrorist organizations that have no real interest in dialogue, peace or coexistence, only in religious wars.
