Saturday, November 24, 2018

Netanyahu Responds To Rouhani's 'Cancer' Comment: Israel Will Defend Itself From 'Murderous' Iran



Netanyahu, after 'cancer' jibe: Israel will defend itself from 'murderous' Iran



Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday hit back against President Hassan Rouhani after the Iranian leader called Israel a “cancerous tumor” established by Western countries to advance their interests in the Middle East.
“Israel knows very well how to defend itself from the murderous Iranian regime,” said Netanyahu, in a statement.
“Rouhani’s slander, which calls for the destruction of Israel, proves yet again why the nations of the world need to join in the sanctions against the Iranian terrorist regime which threatens them,” charged the prime minister.

Iran’s leaders frequently condemn Israel and predict its demise, but Rouhani, a relative moderate, rarely employs such rhetoric.

Addressing an annual Islamic Unity Conference on Saturday, Rouhani said, “One of the ominous results of World War II was the formation of a cancerous tumor in the region.” He went on to refer to Israel as a “fake regime” set up by Western countries.
Iran supports terror groups like Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas that are pledged to Israel’s destruction.

Netanyahu has long identified Iran as Israel’s greatest threat, pointing to its nuclear program, calls for Israel’s destruction and support of anti-Israel terrorist groups.
The Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, routinely calls Israel a “cancer” of the region that must be removed.
Rouhani on Saturday said the United States cultivates close ties with “regional Muslim nations” to protect Israel, an apparent reference to Iran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia and the kingdom’s Sunni Arab allies. He said bowing to American pressure amounts to “treason.”
He added, however, that Iran was prepared to defend Saudi Arabia from “terrorism and superpowers.”
“We do consider you as a brother,” he said. “We do consider the people of Mecca and Medina our brothers,” he added, referring to Islam’s two holiest cities, in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran nearly three years ago after Iranian protesters stormed its diplomatic posts in Iran in response to the kingdom’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. The two countries support opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen.


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