Netanyahu's Sarcastic Remark to Abbas: File a Complaint Against Iran for the Charter of Cyrus the Great

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sarcastically 'recommended' the Palestinian Authority president to file a complaint against Iran regarding the Charter of Cyrus the Great at the International Court of Justice. This 'recommendation' is a response to Mahmoud Abbas's recent request to Britain to apologize for the Balfour Declaration and its support for the establishment of a Jewish state. Abbas made this request during a speech at the 71st United Nations General Assembly on September 23, stating that Palestinians are taking necessary steps to file an official complaint against Britain at the Hague. The Balfour Declaration was a letter from the British Foreign Secretary 99 years ago, in 1917, supporting the idea of establishing a country for the Jews. Thirty years after the Balfour Declaration, the United Nations approved a resolution in 1947 to partition the land inhabited by Jews and Palestinians into two states. Less than a year after the UN resolution, in the spring of 1948, with the end of British mandate over the disputed land, Jewish independence activists declared the existence of a Jewish state called Israel based on the 1947 UN resolution. Palestinians rejected the partition resolution and emphasized that they would not tolerate the existence of a state for Jews. The Palestinian Authority president recently reiterated that Palestinians believe they have the right to complain to the International Court against Britain for the Balfour Declaration. Netanyahu, speaking hours after Abbas at the UN, sarcastically suggested that 'Palestinians should go and complain to Iran about the Charter of Cyrus the Great.' He added that Cyrus the Great freed the Jews who had been taken captive to Babylon over 2500 years ago and returned them to Jerusalem with a protective army, and it was because of Cyrus that the Jewish Temple was rebuilt, thus he played a role in the establishment of the Jewish state. Netanyahu also mockingly suggested that perhaps Palestinians would complain to the Prophet Abraham, who purchased land in Hebron four thousand years ago, due to the longstanding presence of Jews in the area. According to Netanyahu's speech, which was published by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, he stated, 'President Abbas criticized the Balfour Declaration today, which led to the approval of the 1947 resolution; however, that resolution only fulfilled the historical and moral right of the Jews who have always been in this land and have lived there for thousands of years.' Netanyahu expressed deep regret that even after seventy years since the 1947 resolution, Palestinians still refuse to accept the existence of a state for Jews. He invited Mahmoud Abbas to 'instead of complaining about historical events,' go to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, and speak to pave the way for real peace. Netanyahu also stated that he is ready to go to the Palestinian parliament in Ramallah at any moment to speak and revive political contacts. Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations have been stagnant for years. Abbas, in separate meetings with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault in New York, stated that the French government's plan should be the basis for efforts to resume Israeli-Palestinian political dialogue.