Brussels – July 15th, 2016 – the European Coalition for Israel has sent its condolences to the President of France, François Hollande, after the nation for the second time in only eight months is faced with a jihadist terror attack.
“There can be no excuse for these brutal acts of terror against innocent civilians”, ECI Founding Director Tomas Sandell said in a short statement on Friday morning.
In an al-Qaeda produced magazine, called “Inspire”, from 2010, acts of terror are justified in countries which are “disrespecting the Muslim prophet Mohammed or supporting the Israeli occupation of Palestine or the US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq”. Several countries are mentioned by name, among them France, as legitimate targets for terror attacks based on these criteria.
“The international community must now show a united front against these baseless justifications for terror and can only do so when they consistently condemn all acts of terror, including those in Israel. Justifications for terror attacks against Israel are just as baseless as those committed in Europe”, Sandell said.
“This is a battle of values and principles, and the principle of open democracy must be defended at all cost, at all times and everywhere in the world”, he concluded.
At least 84 people were killed and hundreds of others injured on Thursday evening after a terrorist, shouting Allahu Akbar, opened fire with a gun and drove a truck into the crowds along the “Promenade des Anglais” in Nice, who had gathered to watch fireworks on Bastille Day. France has declared three days of mourning and has extended its state of emergency for another three months.