Israeli minister calls for French Jews to emigrate immediately after Islamist beheading

The Israeli minister who oversees the immigration of Jews from around the world to Israel has called on French Jews to "make Aliyah", or emigrate to Israel, immediately following today's Islamist beheading attack in southeastern France.

In a statement released to Newsweek, Zeev Elkin, the Israeli Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption minister, addressed France's Jewish community, telling them to move to the country in order to seek protection from anti-Semitism and the terror of "Isis activists".

"I call to the Jews of France to come home, the anti-Semitism is rising, the terror is rising, by reports, [Isis] activists are killing in broad daylight," he said. "We are ready to welcome with open arms the Jews of France and by all predictions we are expecting massive Aliyah waves."

"I'm happy that the call centres of the Ministry of Absorption will be working this summer overtime, the government has set a special budget and we will double it if needed," he added. "This is a national assignment, with high importance."

The brutal attack in southeastern France saw a man known to intelligence services launch an attack on a gas factory, where he left a decapitated body and head on the compound's fence with an Arabic message written on it. A black Islamist flag was found at the scene. The suspect has been arrested and identified by French authorities. The victim is yet to be identified, and their religion is unknown.

The attack comes just six months after the deadly attacks in Paris in which three Islamists carried out separate two attacks on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket, killing 17.

Following that attack, similar calls were made by the Israeli government for European Jews to emigrate to the country to protect themselves from such attacks, with another deadly attack against a Jewish symbol taking place at a Copenhagen synagogue in February.

In the immediate aftermath of the Paris attacks, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told European Jews that "Israel is your home" in an attempt to lure them to the country, to the chagrin of French President Francois Hollande.

"To all the Jews of France, all the Jews of Europe, I would like to say that Israel is not just the place in whose direction you pray, the state of Israel is your home," Netanyahu said in a televised statement.

"All Jews who want to immigrate to Israel will be welcomed here warmly and with open arms. We will help you in your absorption here in our state that is also your state," he added.

Last June, eight French synagogues were attacked in the space of one week during the Gaza conflict, with crowds chanting "Death to Jews" and "Slit Jews' throats", according to France's Jewish umbrella group, Crif.

The problem is not confined to France, however. Holland, with a Jewish population of 30,000, has experienced a 71% increase in anti-Semitic attacks from 2013 to 2014. In January, the United Nations convened its first-ever meeting on the rise of anti-Semitism across the world.

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