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European Muslim Leaders Visit Israel to Promote Peace, Condemn Extremism Amid Rising Antisemitism
Israeli President Isaac Herzog meets with Muslim leaders from across Europe during a visit to promote interfaith dialogue and regional peace. Photo: Screenshot
In a bid to foster interfaith dialogue, a delegation of Muslim leaders from across Europe met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on Monday, kicking off a week-long visit amid growing concerns over rising antisemitism worldwide.
Organized by the European Leadership Network (ELNET), a nongovernmental, nonpartisan group founded in 2007 to strengthen Israel-EU relations, the visit brought together Muslim leaders from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and England to promote interfaith cooperation.
In a post on X, Herzog praised the initiative, saying he was “moved and inspired” by his meeting with the delegation.
“They stand bravely against extremism, and speak out for coexistence and partnership between faiths,” the Israeli leader wrote.
“Here in Israel we live together side by side, Muslim and Jew, together with people of all faiths — and I urged them to take back with them to their communities a message of hope and peace for the future of the region,” Herzog continued.
“Inshallah, we will all see better days, with our hostages back home, and the end of conflicts and suffering in our region,” he said.
“You represent the world of brotherhood, humanity, and liberty”. The words of Imam Hassen Chalghoumi from France to me today.
I was moved and inspired to meet him and a delegation led by @elnet_global of Imams and Muslim community leaders from across Europe. They stand bravely… pic.twitter.com/gpJja2tQne
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) July 7, 2025
The 15-member delegation of Muslim imams from across Europe arrives at a time of rising global antisemitism and anti-Jewish hate crimes — particularly in Europe — following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.
“The war that broke out after Oct. 7 is not a war between Israel and Hamas or Israel and Hezbollah but a war between two worlds,” Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, chairman of the Conference of Imams of France, told Herzog during their meeting.
“You represent the world of humanity and democracy,” the Muslim leader said. “You represent the world of brotherhood, humanity, and liberty.”
Imam Chalghoumi noted that members of the delegation were fully aware of the risks they faced due to their visit.
Herzog praised the group for their “courageous” visit. “We are all the sons of Abraham,” he said, expressing hope that regional peace would soon be within reach.
“I believe that the historic progress in our region is the result of dialogue — between Muslims and Jews and between Jews and Muslims,” the Israeli leader said. “Against the extremist forces trying to stop this progress of living together, there are other forces that are growing stronger every day, advancing this vision.”
The delegation also emphasized their message of solidarity and love for the Jewish people, expressing hope for the safe return of the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
“We want to see all the hostages home, and also to stop the suffering of the residents of Gaza and live a good life together,” Herzog told them.
After meeting with the Israeli leader, the delegation visited the Knesset and toured Jerusalem’s Old City.
The group is also scheduled to meet with Muslim victims of the Hamas onslaught, visit the Syrian and Lebanese borders, and tour sites in southern Israel impacted by the Oct. 7 attacks.
In a post on X, Noor Dahri, one of the imams in the delegation, praised the visit, saying it was “a great pleasure” to meet the Israeli leader.
“It was a peace journey from European Muslim Imams to Israel,” the Muslim leader said. “We want peace between both nations and strongly condemn political Islam and Islamist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and others.”
It was a great pleasure to meet the President of Israel @Isaac_Herzog along with European Muslim religious leaders led by @Imam1chalghoumi and organised by @elnet_global.
It was a peace journey from European Muslim Imams to Israel. We want peace between both nations and… pic.twitter.com/oMiDsHhnLs
— Noor Dahri – نور ڈاہری
(@dahrinoor2) July 7, 2025
The post European Muslim Leaders Visit Israel to Promote Peace, Condemn Extremism Amid Rising Antisemitism first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: IDF Probes Whether Houthis Used Iranian Cluster Bomb-Bearing Missile
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
i24 News – The Israeli military said Saturday it launched a probe into the failure of its defenses to fully intercept a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi jihadists, parts of which struck not far from the Ben Gurion airport on Friday night.
According to the Ynet website, one of the hypotheses being examined is that the projectile contained cluster munitions, similar to those used by Iran to fire at Israeli cities during the 12-day war in June. Cluster munitions pose a challenge to interceptors as they disperse smaller explosives over a wide area.
In June, Iran fired several missiles carrying scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties.
The IDF said on Saturday that its initial review suggests the ballistic missile from Yemen likely fragmented in mid-air. Five interceptors from various systems engaged with the missile, including THAAD, Arrow, David Sling & Iron Dome.
Authorities said that shrapnel impacted a house in the central Israeli moshav of Ginaton, yet no one was hurt, with the fragment landing in the house’s backyard.
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Iran Forces Kill Six Militants, IRNA Reports, Israel Link Seen
The Iranian flag is seen flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 3, 2023. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iranian security forces shot dead six militants in a clash in southeastern Iran on Saturday, a day after armed rebels killed five police officers in the restive region, the official news agency IRNA reported.
IRNA said evidence showed the group was linked to Israel and may have been trained by Israel‘s Mossad spy agency. There was no immediate Israeli reaction to the allegation.
Another two members of the militant group were arrested, the report said. All but one of the militants were foreign, it added, without giving their nationality.
Iranian police said this month they had arrested as many as 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war with Israel in June.
Iran’s southeast has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy.
Tehran says some of them have ties to foreign powers and are involved in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.
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Benny Gantz Urges Time-Limited National Unity Government to Further Chances of Hostage Deal
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz attends his party’s meeting at the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz on Saturday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition politicians to form a temporary national unity government to further the chances of bringing home the hostages held in Gaza.
Addressing Netanyahu, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman, Gantz said that the proposed government’s two supreme priorities would be the release of Israeli hostages held by the jihadists of Hamas and instituting universal conscription in Israel by ending the exemption from military service enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox.
Upon attainment of the goals, the government would dissolve and call an election.
“The government’s term will begin with a hostage deal that brings everyone home,” Gantz said in a video address. “Within weeks, we will formulate an enlistment outline that would see our ultra-Orthodox brethren drafted to the military and ease the burden on those already serving. Finally, we will announce an agreed-upon election date in the spring of 2026 and pass a law to dissolve the Knesset [Israeli parliament] accordingly. This is what’s right for Israel.”