CBNNews.com - PARIS, France - A few hours after French President Nicholas Sarkozy departed for Israel Sunday, a 17-year-old Jew was attacked and severely beaten up by a gang.

"There is no doubt that the nature of this attack was anti-Semitic," said Raphael Haddad, president of the National Union of Jewish Students (Union des Etudiants Juifs de France).

The attack occurred Saturday evening as the kippa-clad teen walked through a neighborhood in eastern Paris where many Jewish families reside.

The teen remains comatose in the intensive care unit of the Cochin Hospital in Paris.

A statement released by French President Nicholas Sarkozy said his country is "renewing total determination to fighting all forms of racism and anti-Semitism."

Sarkozy and his wife Carla arrived Sunday for a three-day visit to Israel. On Monday, the French president addressed the Knesset (parliament), vowing to stand by Israel against countries calling for its destruction.

"Iran's nuclear program requires a firm response on the part of the international community," Sarkozy said, adding, "Israel is not alone."

Source: The Jerusalem Post