Iran’s Rouhani Calls Israel A ‘Cancerous Tumor’ Established By The West
TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday (24th) called Israel a “cancerous tumor” established by Western countries to advance their interests in the Middle East.
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 Lebanon’s Hizbullah and Palestinian Hamas that are pledged to Israel’s destruction.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long identified Iran as Israel’s greatest threat, pointing to its nuclear program, its calls for Israel’s destruction and its support for anti-Israel terror 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.”
(timesofisrael.com; ap.com)
Israel Can ‘Defend Itself’ Netanyahu Said In Response To Iranian President Calling It A ‘Fake Regime’
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called Israel a “cancerous tumor” and a “fake regime” during his address to an annual Islamic Unity Conference, Saturday 24th.
It is unusual for Rouhani to criticize Israel in such strong terms, although Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks of the “demise” of Israel on a regular basis, regularly calling the Jewish state a “cancerous tumor” that must be removed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Rouhani, in a statement after the Jewish Sabbath, saying, “Israel knows very well how to defend itself from the murderous Iranian regime. 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.”
Meanwhile, On Sunday (25th), Khamenei “tweeted insults” against the Jewish state in which he said that Israel was defeated by Hizbullah in the second Lebanon war and in the last three conflicts with Gaza.
He tweeted: “The Zionist regime is clearly weaker than 10, 20 years ago. A few years ago they fought Hizbullah for 33 days and were defeated. They were defeated 2 years later in the 22-day war on Palestinian resistance, in the 8-day war on the oppressed people of Gaza and recently in the 2-day war.”
The European Union on Sunday (25th) condemned as “totally unacceptable” the remarks by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
“President Rouhani’s remarks bringing into question Israel’s legitimacy are totally unacceptable,” a European Union spokesman said in an official statement. “They are also incompatible with the need to address international disputes through dialogue and international law.”
“The EU reiterates its fundamental commitment to the security of Israel, including with regard to current and emerging threats in the region,” the 28-nation bloc said.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz similarly condemned Rouhani on Saturday, likening his comments to anti-semitism.
(jta.org; worldisraelnews.com)
Czech President Kicks Off Jerusalem Embassy Move In Israel
President Milos Zeman of the Czech Republic, who arrived in Israel with his wife Ivana Zemanova on Sunday (25th) for a three-day state visit, will formally open the “Czech House” in Jerusalem on Tuesday (27th).
The “Czech House” is considered by Prague as the “first step” toward relocating the country’s embassy to Jerusalem.
“Although the institution will not have a diplomatic status, Zeman sees it as a precursor to the transfer of the Czech Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem” a statement by the Czech parliament said.
The Czech president is a strong proponent of the relocation of his country’s embassy to Jerusalem.
In late April, Zeman announced a “three stage” plan to relocate the country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which included the reopening of its honorary consulate in Jerusalem in May. The honorary consulate was first opened in the early 1990s but closed in 2016 due to the death of the honorary consul.
In December 2017, Zeman accused the European Union countries of being cowardly in their response to President Donald Trump’s historic recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
“The European Union, cowards, are doing all they can so a pro-Palestinian terrorist movement can have supremacy over a pro-Israeli movement,” Zeman stated.
(jns.org; worldisraelnews.com)
President Of Chad Meets With Netanyahu, ‘Wants To Renew Ties’ With Israel
In a historic visit to Israel, President of Chad Idriss Deby told reporters on Sunday (25th) during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he “wants to renew ties between the two countries.”
During the press conference Netanyahu said that he had spoken with Deby “about the changes that are taking place in the Arab world with regard to Israel, reflected in the meeting with Sultan Qaboos in Oman.” He said there will be more visits to Arab countries soon.
The Chadian president said that dialogue and communication are the basis for everything.
“We need to put the differences and disagreements aside in order to talk for the good of our people,” he said, adding that Israel and Chad “have a common struggle in this century that is marred with terrorism.”
“Humanity must get rid of terrorism – cooperation in this sense is a cure for this.”
“I am happy to be in your beautiful country on an official visit,” said Deby.
The Israeli prime minister thanked Deby for coming to Israel in order to forge historic ties with the Jewish state.
(israelhayom.com)
Israeli Machine That Pulls Water Out Of Air Sent To Northern California
An Israeli machine that can pull water out of the air was sent to northern California to provide clean drinking water for police and firefighters battling over two weeks of fire.
On Sunday (25th), officials announced that the fire had been brought 100 percent under control. At least 85 people were killed and more than 200 are still reported missing in the fire that burned for 17 days and destroyed more than 153,000 acres north of Sacramento, including 17,000 building structures. Thousands are living in emergency shelters and hotels.
The atmospheric water generator called the GEN-350, produced by the company Watergen USA, can produce up to 156 gallons of water per day and is transportable. It is carried by an emergency response vehicle, which is equipped with a generator and charging stations.
“Providing the police and firefighters with the basic necessity of drinking water allows them to serve and help for longer periods of time,” said Ed Russo, CEO of Watergen USA.
“If we can help relieve the burden by providing them with clean water, that is something that we will most definitely do,” said Yehuda Kaploun, President of Watergen USA.
Watergen’s initiative to provide clean drinking water around the world earned the company its place on the World Economic Forum’s list of the world’s top technology pioneers in 2018.
(jta.org)
