Angela Merkel Condemns Ayatollah Khamenei's Tweet on the Destruction of Israel

The German Chancellor condemned the "tweet from the Iranian leader" describing Israel as a "cancerous tumor," calling for its removal and increased pressure on Iran to reduce its military influence in the Middle East. According to the Associated Press, Angela Merkel made this request on Monday, June 4, during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on the first leg of a four-day trip to three European countries. Merkel's reference in the press conference to Netanyahu was to a tweet published on Sunday from an account attributed to the Iranian leader, which emphasized the continuation of the Islamic Republic's policy against Israel ahead of "Quds Day" on the last Friday of Ramadan. In his tweet, Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated that "Israel is a cancerous tumor in West Asia that must be eradicated," and according to him, "confronting this cancerous tumor is possible and will ultimately be realized." Netanyahu, who drew Merkel's attention to this tweet, stated that in the 21st century, seventy years after the Holocaust, "Iran wants to kill six million more Jewish people" and "wants to carry out this massacre by obtaining nuclear weapons." According to Reuters, Merkel agreed with Netanyahu in the Berlin press conference that "Iran's activities in the Middle East and its regional influence are a worrying issue, especially for Israel's security." The German Chancellor emphasized that her country's methods regarding the "shared goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons" differ, although Germany and Israel are friends and allies. However, Netanyahu stated that he and Merkel agreed that "Iran must be dealt with practically." He added, "We must confront Iran, the biggest supporter of terrorism, together." Netanyahu mentioned that shortly before the "very bad nuclear deal with Iran, I asked the U.S. Congress to condition crippling sanctions against Iran on changing Iran's behavior; but in practice, we saw that Iran invaded Yemen and Syria, transferred deadly weapons to the Middle East, and brought destruction wherever it went, because the JCPOA gave Iran money it needed for its goals." He began his European trip by stating that pressure on Iran "must be intensified as much as possible," but at the same time acknowledged that achieving a unified policy between the U.S. and Israel with Europe regarding the JCPOA is not easy. Merkel, who stated last month that the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA complicates the Middle East, like the leaders of Germany and France, insists that the JCPOA must be preserved but efforts should be made to pressure Iran regarding its ballistic missile capabilities and regional influence. Germany's support for maintaining the JCPOA was emphasized in Merkel's press conference with the Israeli Prime Minister on Monday. However, the joint press conference of the German and Israeli leaders took place at a time when the Iranian leader announced new government policies in the context created after the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA during the ceremony marking the twenty-ninth anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. According to Iranian media, Ayatollah Khamenei said, "From the words of some European governments, it appears that they expect the Iranian people to endure sanctions and also abandon their nuclear activities and continue the restrictions; I tell these governments that this troubled dream will not come true." In the presence of the President and members of the government, heads of other branches, ambassadors, and hundreds of foreign guests, he stated, "The Iranian people and government will not tolerate being sanctioned and also being in a 'nuclear prison'; the Atomic Energy Organization is obliged to quickly prepare for reaching 190,000 SWU (a unit of measurement in nuclear capability) within the framework of the JCPOA and to begin some other preparations that the President has ordered from tomorrow." The Iranian leader stated, "It is a lie that they say if this defective JCPOA does not exist, there will be war." He also mentioned that Iran has "become the first missile power in the region, and the enemy knows that if it strikes once, it will receive ten in return." Despite the Iranian leader's emphasis on not negotiating again with European powers over the JCPOA or negotiations regarding Tehran's missile capabilities, the Israeli Prime Minister will head to France and Britain after Germany to negotiate with the leaders of these countries focusing on Iran. Netanyahu will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday, June 5, and then in the third and final part of this European tour, he will negotiate with British Prime Minister Theresa May in London. It seems that raising awareness among European power leaders about Israel's policy to "counter Iran's military entrenchment in Syria" is Netanyahu's main goal for these trips, as another important goal of his has been achieved with the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA.