Khamenei Clarifies He Seeks Destruction of Israel, Not Jewish People

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has “clarified” that his country seeks only the destruction of Jewish state, and not the genocide of all Jews, after coming under fire for disseminating a poster that called for a “final solution.” The picture showed the conquest of Jerusalem and the raising of a Palestinian flag over the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is located on the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site. “Eliminating the Zionist regime doesn’t mean eliminating Jews. We aren’t against Jews. It means abolishing the imposed [Israeli] regime & Muslim, Christian & Jewish Palestinians choose their own govt & expel thugs like [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu,” Khamenei wrote on Twitter amid widespread criticism. “This [means] ‘Eliminating Israel,’” he emphasized, adding that “it will happen.” In this respect, the ayatollah made clear that Tehran would fund any group committed to this purpose. Iran already finances the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as Lebanon-based Hizbullah, all of which have a unified goal: to wipe Israel off the map. In response, Netanyahu tweeted: “Khamenei’s threats to carry out ‘The Final Solution’ against Israel bring to mind the Nazi ‘Final Solution’ plan to annihilate the Jewish People. He should know that any regime that threatens the destruction of the State of Israel faces a similar danger.”