“It starts with Israel, it starts with the Jews. It will never end there,” the Israeli president told European Jewish leaders.

By JNS

Israel is at the forefront of a global clash of civilizations, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Tuesday.

“Hamas, Al Qaeda and Islamic State are all together in wishing to ban us all from the face of the earth,” he told a group of European Jewish leaders. “It starts with Israel, it starts with the Jews. It will never end there. Europe will be next. And that is why we are fighting a battle on behalf of the entire world.”

Herzog expressed serious concern about the significant rise in antisemitism in Europe and around the world in recent weeks. “This is a message that must be heard loud and clear,” he said. “When [anti-Israel protesters] say ‘from the river to the sea,’ they mean without any Jews.”

“When they demonstrate on campuses against Israel—they mean without Jews. When they criticize Israel fighting to defend its people, and fighting against the most brutal attack that humanity has seen in last generation—they mean no Jews,” he added.

“This is a fight not only against Israel. It is a fight against antisemites all over the world, and we are here to strengthen our brothers and sisters of Jewish communities all over the world, to show solidarity with them, because we are all in this together,” he said.