This is a War and We Have to Win

Ten months ago, when a group of Islamist terrorists carried out the massacres in the Charlie Hebdo magazine and the Hyper Cacher, we were dismayed and shocked; the heart of Europe was brutally attacked, and we realized that the islamism had declared war to the West -at least, many of us knew it since 9/11. However, we did not expect that those evil forces would strike so soon in the same place, Paris, a city which raises as one of the cornerstones of the Western civilization. More than 128 dead and 180 injured and counting is the trail of blood that Islamic State terrorists have left.

From the Friends of Israel Initiative, we strongly condemn these savage terrorist attacks and we express our sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the French people. We stand with you, now and forever.

The cold blood and the savagery applied by the Islamic State members to murder innocent civilians who were enjoying in restaurants and concert halls show perfectly the nature of the enemy that we have to face: an enemy who does not value human life, and who is not going to stop in the pursue of his goals: to destroy the West and our way of life.

Certainly, the Islamic State, by attacking us in those places, is trying to scare us, but, as the German Chancellor Angela Merkel has clearly stated "freedom is stronger than terror." In these dark hours, after this swipe, our determination should be firm, as Tony Blair expressed the day of the London bombings in July 2005: “we shall prevail, they shall not.”

What happened last night in Paris, also reminds us that the West is at stake. For many years we have believed that we would live with the peace and stability we have always had. But the Islamic State has been clear in its threats: "This attack is only the beginning of a storm." a spokesman warned claiming the carnage perpetrated. They perfectly know we are at war, and we should not take much longer to be aware of it. Western countries are amid of a turning point, a historical moment when leaders and societies have to reach a compromise with their values and their institutions, and to be ready to win.

In this regard, there is a Western-like country, democratic, dynamic and liberal which has been suffering the attacks of the Islamism since its foundation. A nation that plays a key role in the future of the West, an example that we have to look at in order to learn how to get over the trauma of the slaughter and to thrive despite the circumstances. Israel comes up nowadays as the main asset to win this war.

In this day in the history of infamy, Paris, the whole West, and Israel should keep united and determined: this is a war, we have to win and the enemy must be defeated.