Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has blamed Israel for the deadly Paris attacks last night, saying that the creation of the Jewish state was the cause.

The state of Israel was established in 1948 in the aftermath of a war with the Arabs.

"Before that, there were no such terrorist attacks anywhere, not even in the Middle East,” said Mahathir.

"The only terorrist attacks before the creation of the state of Israel were by the Haganah and Irgun, which are terorrist organasations.

"But of course when you take a people’s country and they have to fight, they don't have airplanes, battleships and tanks.

"So they fight in the only way they can, and it takes the form of what we call terrorism,” said the former premier.

"But please remember when you (the West) dropped bombs on people, that is also terrorism.

"If they want to solve this problem, they must accept some formula where they can regain their land and go back to their country; then only there will be peace," he said.

Last night's series of terrorist attacks in the French capital is said to have claimed at least 120 lives.

While Mahathir linked the attack with Muslim unhappiness with the long-standing Palestinian struggle against Israel, world leaders point to the Islamic State (IS).

French President Francois Hollande said the attacks in Paris were an "act of war" carried out by the IS.

He told Reuters they were planned and organised from abroad, with help from inside France.

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