Tel Aviv, February 16 (RHC)-- The Israeli cabinet has ratified a USD 46 million dollar plan in a bid to persuade Jews residing in France, Belgium, and Ukraine to emigrate to the occupied Palestinian territories. The plan, approved on Sunday, aims to bring about a "significant increase" in the number of emigrants by enhancing Hebrew courses, dispatching more officials to these countries, and holding exhibitions, the cabinet said in a statement.

"We say to Jews, to our brothers and sisters: Israel is your home. We are preparing and calling for the absorption of mass immigration from Europe," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during the cabinet meeting. His comments came after a Jew guarding a synagogue in the Danish capital Copenhagen was killed in a shooting incident early on Sunday.

Denmark's chief rabbi, however, criticized Netanyahu's call for "massive immigration" of European Jews to Israel later in the day. "If the way we deal with terror is to run somewhere else, we should all run to a deserted island," Yair Melchior said.

Over the weekend, Copenhagen witnessed two shooting attacks one on a café and the other on the synagogue. On Saturday, one person was killed and three police officers were wounded when a gunman attacked the café hosting a debate attended by controversial Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks. Hours later, the synagogue was attacked, leaving the guard dead and two policemen injured. 

Local media reports identified the gunman, who carried out both the raids, as Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, claiming he had been released from prison two weeks ago.