'Message of peace': Herzog hosts moderate Muslim leaders from Europe.

'We are all children of Abraham, and I believe the historic progress in our region is a progress of dialogue – between Muslims and Jews, and Jews and Muslims,' Israel's president said.

President Isaac Herzog meets with a delegation of Muslim leaders from Europe in the Presidential Residences in JerusalemOffice of the President of Israel

President Isaac Herzog met a delegation of Muslim leaders from across Europe on Monday at his residence in Jerusalem, telling them they "represent the silent majority in the Middle East."

The visit, organized by the European Leadership Network (ELNET), a group that promotes democratic values and relations between Israel and Europe, brought imams and Muslim leaders from France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and the UK. 

"Bring back to your communities a message of peace. I hope that peace will come with Syria, with Lebanon, inshallah [God willing] even with Saudi Arabia, and that we will continue moving forward," Herzog said.

Israel is committed to promoting peace and tolerance in the region, with the president noting the integral Muslim population in Israel. The delegation expressed the significance of their trip as a counterweight to extremism, voicing their friendship for Israel. 

The President stressed the importance of the delegation, and Israel's commitment and strong desire to advance to a new era of inclusion and peace in the Middle East. The President stressed the vital role of the Muslim population in Israel, which he noted was an integral part of Israeli society.

President Isaac Herzog (right) meeting Dancy's imam Hassen Chalghoumi, the head of the Conference of Imams in FranceOffice of the President of Israel

"We are all children of Abraham, and I believe the historic progress in our region is a progress of dialogue – between Muslims and Jews, and Jews and Muslims," he said. "In the face of radical forces that try to block this progress and the true desire of Isaac and Ishmael to live together, there are other forces – growing stronger every day along the arc of history – that are advancing this vision."

"What we have witnessed since October 7 is not merely a conflict between Israel and Hamas, nor between Israel and Hezbollah – the so-called 'Party of Satan,'" said Drancy's Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, the leader of the delegation and chairman of the Conference of Imams of France. "Rather, it is a confrontation between two fundamentally different worlds. You represent the world of brotherhood, of humanity, of compassion. You stand for the values of democracy and liberty."

"My message to you is one of deep affection, for you and for your remarkable people," he said. "It is a message of brotherhood and solidarity, and a heartfelt prayer that the hostages will return home in peace, and that the pain and suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza will come to an end."