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Source: http://defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/ali-alfoneh-khamenei-mends-relations-with-hamas
Khamenei Mends Relations with Hamas
(Foundation for the Defense of Democracies) Ali Alfoneh - Arm Hamas. That was the main message of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's speech on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the feast marking the end of the month of Ramadan. The support for Hamas marked a shift in rhetoric for the Iranian leader. Ties suffered because of Iran's support for Bashar al-Assad. The Hamas external leadership left Damascus in 2012. "A rabid dog, and a predatory wolf has attacked innocent people," Khamenei said, referring to Israel and its current war against Hamas in Gaza. He accused "the usurping and infidel Zionist regime" of committing "genocide," and demanded "punishment" for the "perpetrators of these crimes and their backers." Finally, Khamenei said: "The entire world, and in particular the world of Islam, is obliged to do everything in its ability to arm the people of Palestine." The renewed partnership should serve as a warning to those who believe a negotiated solution to the nuclear crisis would lead to changes in the regime's policy of supporting violent non-state actors. The writer is a senior fellow at the FDD.