Iran’s “moderate” President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Israel’s right to national defense was “meaningless” following the deaths of more than 50 Palestinians, most revealed to be operatives of the Hamas terrorist organization.
According to Iran’s state-run Mehr News agency, during a cabinet session, Rouhani said:
We are sorry that some Arab countries of the region are silent towards the recent crimes of the Zionists and some Islamic countries have simply turned a blind eye to these incidents, and some others have regarded it as [Israel’s] self-defense right, while legitimate self-defense belongs to people who own the land not to those who have taken lands by usurpation. Therefore, legitimate self-defense of Zionists in this land is meaningless.
On Wednesday, Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil, a Hamas official, said that at least 50 of the Gazans killed on Monday during clashes with Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF) were Hamas terrorists:
Hamas official, Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil is clear about terrorist involvement in the riots pic.twitter.com/p5My6JGQRr
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDFSpokesperson) May 16, 2018
The clashes on the Gaza border took place during the grand opening of America’s new embassy in Jerusalem.
Rouhani reportedly added to his speech, “The Zionist Regime and the US think that they can put more pressure on the Palestinian people to deprive them of their own rights and separate the Muslims of the world from their own land, Al Quds. This is a grave mistake.”
He then went on to say that Iran will continue to defend the Palestinian people:
Without a doubt, this year’s Quds Day will be held more gloriously in Iran and other countries and the world will show the Zionist Regime and the White House leaders that they have chosen the wrong path and, God-willing, this will promote more unity and integrity in the World of Islam.
Al Quds Day was established by the Islamic Republic of Iran after the overthrow of the late Shah in 1979. It is an annual event held on the last Friday of Ramadan and meant to express support for and solidarity with the Palestinians and in stark opposition to Zionism and Israel. Ramadan 2018 begins this week; as it is determined by the location of the moon in the sky, exactly when it begins varies from location to location.
“Palestinians have resisted for 70 years and will continue to do so until their legitimate rights are secured,” Rouhani reportedly went on to say. “The actions and deeds of the Zionist Regime have always been aggression, tyranny and killing of the innocent and in the recent days, these actions are more evident.”
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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