French military personnel will be tasked with defending the country’s Jewish community and institutions for the next several months, according to French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who told U.S. Jewish leaders on Thursday that the country’s Jewish community "remains a target for the terrorists."
"The Jewish community remains a target for the terrorists," Valls told U.S. Jewish leaders during a conference calls sponsored by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which represents Jewish community groups across the nation.
"I’m afraid their protection will have to be maintained and necessary for many months," said Valls, who noted that he is currently examining the "possibility of maintaining the military personnel to protect Jewish institutions for as long as possible."
At least 10,000 French soldiers have been dispatched around the country in recent days to various Jewish community sites in a bid to boost security following the killing of 17 by Islamic jihadists in Paris.
French leaders will "do everything possible to keep and maintain that protection" for the Jewish community well into the near future, Valls said.
These attacks, including one on a kosher market that killed four people, have served as "a wake up call for the French people," many of whom have ignored the warning signs of rising anti-Semitism in the country, Valls said.
As publicity and news reports about the attacks fade away, some Jewish leaders on the call expressed concern that the increased security measures backed by the state also will decrease.
Valls acknowledged this as a possibility, saying that there is "always a risk that as times go by the measures are not as well implemented and [there’s] less follow up as well."
However, he and others are looking into starting a campaign "to turn anti-Semitism into a major national call."
"It is [vital] among our young people that we have to tackle anti-Semitism because it comes from the family, from the Internet, from the images in the Middle East," he said.
Valls also took heat from some Jewish leaders for France’s support of a recent bid by the Palestinians to win statehood at the United Nations, a move condemned and opposed by the United States as dangerous.
Valls defended France’s support for Israel, which has come under question by some, and maintained that the issue of Palestine is not negatively impacting his relationship with the Jewish state.
"You know how much friendship I feel about Israel and the bond between France and Israel is a very strong one," Valls said. "Of course, we can disagree upon one political topic or another."
Netanyahu was standing by the French president at the march" last weekend, "and I believe that the two things are not related," Valls said. "A resolution did acknowledge the state of Palestine, but let me remind you that this is not binding in the French government and did not prevent the attack on France" by jihadists.
The Palestinian bid for statehood is not what is fueling the Islamic extremists, Valls maintained.
"Of course we have to deal with the issue of Palestine. But I do not believe that this is what is feeding these young people, these jihadists who are targeting" France and Jews, he said. "But rest assured we have a very strong bond with Israel."