Paris stressed on Monday that Jews are welcome in France, as it slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his call for European Jews to emigrate to the Zionist entity following Copenhagen attacks.

Paris stressed on Monday that Jews are welcome in France, as it slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his call for European Jews to emigrate to the Zionist entity following Copenhagen attacks.

President Francois Hollande said on Monday that Jews have their place in Europe and in particular in France", Hollande said, in reference also to the vandalizing of several hundred tombs at a Jewish cemetery in the east of the country over the weekend.

For his part, Prime Minister Manuel Valls urged France's Jews to stay in the country, as he criticized his Israeli counterpart.

"My message to French Jews is the following: France is wounded with you and France does not want you to leave," Valls said.

"I regret Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks. Being in the middle of an election campaign doesn't mean you authorize yourself to make just any type of statement. The place for French Jews is France."

Israel is holding a general election on March 17.

Earlier on Sunday, Netanyahu told “the Jews of Europe and to the Jews of the world I say that Israel is waiting for you with open arms.”

His comments came after two people were killed in shootings in Copenhagen at the weekend that targeted a cultural centre and a synagogue, in a strike that may have been inspired by last month's Paris attacks.