Netanyahu vows to take tough stance against Islamic extremism

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to combat Islamic extremism in Israel and abroad, and urged European countries to support the Jewish state’s continued efforts to ward off jihadi attempts to attack the country.

Netanyahu’s statements came as he took off for the United Kingdom, where he is to meet with the prime minister.

“I am leaving now to meet British Prime Minister David Cameron. This is in line with the dozens of calls and meetings I have had since the elections with prime ministers, presidents and foreign ministers of dozens of countries, including meetings with the Italian prime minister, and with Lithuanian and European Union leaders just yesterday,” Netanyahu said before boarding an airplane headed for Britain.

“In these talks I explain one thing: Europe needs to support Israel — not pressure Israel and not attack Israel, but support Israel — which is the only true protection Europe has in the Middle East against surging extremist Islam.”

“We are prepared to act together with Europe in Africa and other places to fight extremist Islam but this requires a change of approach. This change will take time but we will implement it,” he continued.

Netanyahu said he would convene the government upon his return to Israel in order to finalize a series of measures aimed at fighting terrorism within the country’s borders.

“[W]e need to fight extremist Islam not only at the borders, as we are doing, but also within our territory,” the prime minister said.

“As soon as I return I will hold a meeting to summarize a meeting that I already had about boosting forces, stepping up enforcement, minimum sentences, blowing up suicide terrorists’ houses and other steps that we are determined to carry out against all those who try to attack us here, within the country.”

“My policy is zero tolerance for terrorism and this is what we will do.”

Earlier this week, prominent far-left activists and union leaders in Britain, along with three members of Parliament, called for the disinvitation of Netanyahu and urged the British government to impose immediate sanctions on Israel.

Meanwhile, demonstrations against the Israeli leader are planned in London on Wednesday and a petition on the UK Parliament’s website calling for Netanyahu’s arrest during his visit – something not currently possible under British law – has garnered over 106,000 signatures. The petition claims “over 2,000 civilians” were killed by Israel in the summer 2014 war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, apparently conflating the overall Palestinian death toll with the civilian one.

In its response to the Parliament website petition, the British government defended Israel’s right to fight Gaza’s Islamist Hamas rulers, and said Netanyahu could not be arrested under the law.