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Our Iranian Interlocutor: Ali Khamenei's Dark Obsession with Jews and Israel

(Weekly Standard) Ali Alfoneh and Reuel Marc Gerecht - Jew-hatred - not just anti-Zionism - has been a significant aspect, if not a core component, of modern Arab nationalism, Islamic fundamentalism, and what usually passes for critical thought among sophisticated Arab elites. References to Jews and Israel in Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's speeches demonstrate a near-pathological obsession. As early as his August 5, 1980, Quds [Jerusalem] Day sermon, Khamenei said: "As long as an infectious sore, a filthy tumor called the usurping Israeli state in the heart of Arab and Islamic lands exists, we can't feel victory and can't tolerate the presence of our enemy in the usurped and occupied lands." Khamenei also accused Israel of "imprisoning Muslim youth, subjecting them to torture, and even tapping their blood with syringes to save in their blood banks." Given that Khamenei controls the Assembly of Experts, the body designated to choose his successor, there's no reason to believe the Islamic Republic will become less anti-Semitic in the coming decade. The writers are senior fellows at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
2015-09-24 00:00:00
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