Iran hails arms supply to Palestinians against 'tumor' Israel
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[May 22, 2020]
By Parisa Hafezi
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader on
Friday denounced Israel as a "tumor" to be eliminated and hailed
Tehran's supply of arms to Palestinians, drawing swift condemnation from
the United States and European Union.
Opposition to Israel is a core belief for Shi’ite-led Iran, which backs
Palestinian and Lebanese Islamic militant groups opposed to peace with
the Jewish state, which Tehran refuses to recognize.
"The Zionist regime (Israel) is a deadly, cancerous tumor in the region.
It will undoubtedly be uprooted and destroyed," Iran's top authority,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in an online speech.
The United States and European Union rejected the comments.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Twitter dismissed them as
"disgusting and hateful anti-Semitic remarks" that did not represent the
tradition of tolerance of ordinary Iranians.
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EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said they were "totally
unacceptable and represent a deep source of concern" and incompatible
with the aim of a stable and peaceful Middle East.
Although leaders of Palestinian militant groups in Gaza, including Hamas
and Islamic Jihad, have frequently praised Iran's financial and military
support, Khamenei had not himself previously given public confirmation
of Tehran's weapons supply.
"Iran realised Palestinian fighters' only problem was lack of access to
weapons. With divine guidance and assistance, we planned, and the
balance of power has been transformed in Palestine, and today the Gaza
Strip can stand against the aggression of the Zionist enemy and defeat
it," he said.
RALLIES CANCELLED
Senior Iranian officials have called repeatedly over the years for an
end to the Jewish state, including by a referendum that would exclude a
majority of its Jews while including Palestinians in the region and
abroad.
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![](../images/052220pics/news_s35.jpg)
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a live
televised speech marking the annual Al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), in
Tehran, Iran May 22, 2020. Official Khamenei Website/Handout via
REUTERS
![](../images/ads/current/fitzpatrick_lda_SPONSOR_2017.png)
"The proposal of referendum shows that West’s accusation of the
resistance as antisemitic, which they keep repeating, is completely
unfounded," Khamenei said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Iran "the most
antisemitic regime on the planet" in an address during a Holocaust
memorial in Jerusalem on Jan 23.
Khamenei was speaking on Quds Day, which uses the Arabic name for
Jerusalem, held on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan.
The Quds event was started by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, late
founder of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Khamenei suggested global attention on the coronavirus crisis had
helped obscure wrongs done to Palestinians. "The long-lasting virus
of Zionists will be eliminated," he added.
Iran cancelled nationwide Quds Day rallies due to coronavirus. Iran
is one of the most-affected countries in the region with 7,300
deaths and a total of 131,652 infections.
Khamenei also denounced what he called treason by "political and
cultural mercenaries in Muslim countries" helping Zionists to
downplay the Palestine issue, in an apparent reference to some Arab
states including Iran's regional rival Saudi Arabia.
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(Additional reporting by Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Writing by
Parisa Hafezi; Editing by William Maclean)
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