Israel marked Bastille Day on Wednesday with a festive event at the residence of France's ambassador to Israel, Eric Danon.
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Hundreds of people attended, including President Isaac Herzog, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, and Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar.
Danon spoke, telling the crowd that "First, in our shared battle for peace and security, we are facing a common enemy, violent and radical Islamism and jihadism, which endangers democracy and the values on which our countries are based."
"We are cooperating more closely than ever before in the battle against terrorism, the most senior authorities in France have repeated that they will never compromise on Israel's security, and have held Hamas responsible for the last war in Gaza, while emphasizing Israel's right to defend itself under international law," Danon said.
Touching on Iran, Danon said, "Our shared goal is clear: that the ayatollah regime never obtain a nuclear weapons. We had disagreements about how to achieve that, but we are standing together in the battle that is constantly being waged against the nuclear threat, the ballistic missile threat, and Iran's activities that are aimed at destabilizing the region, first and foremost in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
"Our second shared commitment is the fight against antisemitism," Danon continued, adding that French President Emmanuel Macron was "totally committed" to the cause.
Herzog also spoke, praising French-Israeli relations.
"I have the honor to wish you a happy national day," Herzog declared.
"On this July 14, I have a thought for the Assembly which adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 which continues to this day to shape the way we think in democratic countries, and we are all the heirs of this Revolution," he said.
Herzog praised the general fight waged "together" against the coronavirus pandemic for the past year-and-a-half, saying that "it reminds us that when we work together we are stronger."
"On this July 14, we celebrate the Revolution but also its exceptional intellectual and political heritage," underlined Herzog, evoking the "long friendship" between the Israeli and French nations, while "the position of France to maintain our security and stability in the whole region is important."
Herzog also thanked Macron "for these warm words that he sent me after my election" and said that he looked forward to meeting with Macron either in France or in Israel.
i24NEWS contributed to this report
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