Netanyahu: The Trump Administration Will End the World's Silence on Iran's Threats

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed optimism after a recent phone conversation with Donald Trump, stating that the new U.S. administration will end the "deafening silence of the world" regarding Iran's aggression and its efforts to erase Israel from the world map. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu spoke on Thursday evening, February 26, during a meeting with foreign diplomats at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Netanyahu had a phone conversation with Trump on January 21, the second day of his presidency, which Trump described as "very pleasant." The White House confirmed that the "threat of Iran" was discussed during the Trump-Netanyahu call, and these discussions will continue next month during Netanyahu's visit to Washington. In his remarks on Thursday, Netanyahu stated that Iranian officials are constantly seeking to "wipe Israel off the map," yet the global community's response has been a "deafening silence." According to Netanyahu, "hatred of the Jewish people, the greatest danger that Israel faces, comes from the East, from Iran." He added, "I have come to believe that this situation will change and that Trump is aware of the dangers of Iran's aggression and nuclearization and agreements with such a regime." Netanyahu's comments about the "global silence" come at a time when Western leaders have repeatedly condemned statements made by Iranian leaders, including Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, regarding Israel and the Holocaust. Ban Ki-moon, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, previously condemned the "anti-Israel statements" of Iranian leaders on "Quds Day," labeling them as "worrisome, offensive, and provocative." Netanyahu further stated, "The Nazi regime, the perpetrator of the Holocaust, has been thrown into the dustbin of history, and this should serve as a lesson for Iran and all enemies of the Jews." January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz camp during World War II, is recognized as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The United Nations designated January 27 each year to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust shortly after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's first presidential term and his statements denying the Holocaust. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, stated in September 2013 that the Holocaust was "a horrific crime and genocide," adding that "calling the Holocaust a myth [by Ahmadinejad] only benefits Israel." Zarif also noted in a September 2014 Twitter message to Jews for the Hebrew New Year that "the man who denied the Holocaust has gone." On Saturday, February 1, Netanyahu sent an unprecedented message to Iranians, stating that Israel has always separated the Iranian people from the ruling regime in Iran. Cooperation between Israel and the U.S. has increased in the first week of Donald Trump's administration. According to Israeli media, Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York and a trusted envoy of Donald Trump, delivered a "private message from the President of the United States" to Netanyahu during his visit to Israel on Thursday, February 26. In this context, Netanyahu and Trump are discussing the "Iran threat" over the phone. Trump described his phone conversation with Netanyahu as "very pleasant." An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that it is still too early to make an accurate assessment of Donald Trump's positions.