Israeli Crimes Reminiscent of Nazi Acts: Iranian President

In a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi strongly condemned the criminal attacks of the Zionist regime and expressed concern about the miserable situation of the people of Gaza.

Referring to 70 years of oppression, crime, discrimination and injustice, apartheid practices, brutal killing and usurpation of the land of the oppressed Palestinian nation by the Zionists, he said, "What was done by the Palestinian resistance groups was actually a reaction to these crimes and a protest against seven decades of killing, cruelty and injustice towards the Palestinian people."

Deploring the repeated violation of the international laws and conventions and so-called peace agreements by the Zionist regime, Raisi added, "This regime has committed war crimes against the people of Gaza by violating all international laws and regulations by besieging and cutting off water, electricity, fuel, food and medicine, as well as extensive and indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets and even the use of phosphorous bombs."

The actions of the Zionist regime are reminiscent of the Nazis' behavior, Raisi stated, his official website reported. "If the Zionist regime seeks to compensate for its failure by continuing these crimes, the dimensions of the developments will expand."

"About two-thirds of the martyrs of Gaza in the Zionist attacks are women and children, half a million people have been displaced in recent days, and the lack of basic items has endangered the lives of many civilians," the Iranian president added.

Stressing the need for an immediate end to the bombing of Gaza's residential areas, Raisi said, "The forced displacement of Gaza residents from their hometowns is neither practical nor compatible with international principles and laws, and the Palestinian resistance groups and all the free nations of the world will stand against these crimes."

Criticizing the incorrect and incomplete narrative of the Western media regarding what is happening against the oppressed and defenseless people of Gaza, Raisi said, "The place of the oppressor and the oppressed should not be changed, and by blaming the victims, they seek to exonerate the oppressors and criminals. What should be considered before any action is the pressure on this regime to stop crimes against civilians and lift the blockade of Gaza."

He also reminded the Western countries and international organizations of their responsibility towards the crimes of the Zionist regime and called for an immediate end to the bombardment of the residential areas of Gaza, lifting the blockade and delivering water, electricity, fuel and basic items to this area and paying attention to the rights of the Palestinian people as three main necessary actions to prevent the spread of the crisis in the region.

Raisi described the moments and minutes important and vital to stop the crimes of the Zionist regime and to prevent the spread of the crisis to other parts of the region and emphasized, "Western countries and international organizations should immediately act on their responsibility in this field."

Raisi also criticized the French government for preventing the Palestinian people's protests in the European country and told Macron, "Don't let the name of France be mentioned in history as a country that supports the child-killing Zionist regime, and play a role in preventing injustice against an oppressed nation."

He described supporting the rights of the Palestinian people to determine their own future as the fundamental policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and added, "We believe that defending the Palestinian resistance movement is defending an oppressed nation."

For his part, Macron expressed concern over the escalation of the crisis in the Gaza Strip and called for the use of the influential role of Iran in the region to control the situation.