JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Sunday for the “massive immigration” of European Jews to Israel after a deadly shooting near Copenhagen’s main synagogue, renewing a blunt message that has upset some of Israel’s friends in Europe.

Netanyahu said that at a time of rising anti-Semitism in Europe, Israel is the only place where Jews can truly feel safe. His comments triggered an angry response from Copenhagen’s chief rabbi, Jair Melchior, who said he was “disappointed” by the remarks.

“People from Denmark move to Israel because they love Israel, because of Zionism. But not because of terrorism,” Melchior said. “If the way we deal with terror is to run somewhere else, we should all run to a deserted island.”

Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt expressed support for the Jewish community, saying: “They belong in Denmark, they are a strong part of our community, and we will do everything we can to protect the Jewish community in our country.”

Netanyahu issued his call during the weekly meeting of his Cabinet, which approved a $46 million plan to encourage Jewish immigration from France, Belgium and Ukraine – countries where large numbers of Jews have expressed interest in moving to Israel. France and Belgium have experienced deadly attacks on their Jewish communities, most recently an attack in Paris last month that killed four Jews at a kosher market. Ukraine is in the midst of a conflict between government troops and Russian-backed separatists.

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