Netanyahu to French Jews: Israel doing everything to make immigration easier

Israel is “doing everything” to cut bureaucracy for Jews immigrating from France, Netanyahu said. 

By: World Israel News Staff

Meeting with the Jewish community in Paris, Prime Minister Benjamin  Netanyahu promised to make it easier for French Jews to immigrate to Israel.

Netanyahu stated that Israel is “doing everything, not enough, to allow them, first of all, to reduce this awful bureaucracy, about driver’s licenses and professional certificates.”

“We have already done this for doctors and afterwards with pharmacists, and now we are working with nurses. But it must be in all professional fields that are recognized in France; they need to be recognized in Israel,” he said.

Netanyahu said there was “no logic” to the current situation. “This is not a question. It is a policy of fighting excessive bureaucracy and legalism. We are doing this step by step out of genuine love and admiration.”

Netanyahu left Monday for a round of diplomatic meetings in Berlin, Paris and London with the future of the Iran nuclear deal in focus.

Netanyahu and his wife Sara met with French Jewish community leaders in Paris. The prime minister said he was “very moved by the fact that we have 180,000 immigrants from France.”

PM lauds seven decades of ties with France

Netanyahu lauded the 72 years of ties between Israel and France.

“These ties were critical in the first years of the state when our existence was not self-evident. It is never self-evident but always borders on the miraculous,” he stated, saying that “we must act to ensure the miracle.”

“France’s assistance in the first years of a young Israel – in terms of weapons, planes and additional cooperation – will be forever etched in the chronicles of the nation. Shimon Peres spoke very often with me about those years and it was a great honor for both him and France,” Netanyahu added.

Netanyahu addressed another issue that “is disturbing to us, and this is anti-Semitism.”

‘Fight it. Fight, fight and fight’ anti-Semitism

“Anti-Semitism in Europe in general and France in particular, these attacks, have ancient roots even though their expressions are new. Against this there needs to be one thing: Fight it. Fight, fight and fight. This is the policy, not just of this government and of this president, but also of previous presidents and governments, and this is important,” he said.

“Netanyahu warned that “the main thing that must be understood is that it never ends with the Jews. Jew-hatred always spreads to a greater problem; therefore, it is possible to recruit others, for both moral reasons and the future of society. I know that this will come up in my talks today [with President Macron].”

Finally, Netanyahu touched on the threat of Islamic terror.

“Israel is working against the threat of radical Islam which threatens Israel and the entire world. We are thwarting awful terrorist attacks including here in France. Israel has blocked very many terrorist attacks in Europe and will continue to do so,” he said.