Iranian Leader Khamenei's Representative in Iraq Mojtaba Hosseini: Israel, That "Cancerous Tumor," Will Be Extracted in a Few Years

Shiite cleric Mojtaba Hosseini, Iranian Leader Khamenei's representative in Iraq, said in a recent interview that Israel, which he called a "cancerous tumor," was "founded upon evil, strife, and interference in the affairs of other countries," and that it "will be extracted in a few years." The interview with Hosseini aired on the Iraqi Al-Ayyam TV channel on January 14.

Mojtaba Hosseini: "The Palestinian cause is a global cause. The Zionist regime was established to be a cancerous tumor spreading in the countries [of the Middle East]. That is why, from the onset, their slogan was 'from the Nile to the Euphrates.' They wanted to take the land from the Nile to the Euphrates. They were not only in a single country – they don't have the right to be even in that one country... They established a tyrannical state, contrary to the will of the people. They did not consult the Palestinians – the Jews of Palestine – on the issue. They came from abroad and imposed their occupation. From the very beginning, [Israel] was founded upon evil, upon strife, and upon the interference in the affairs of other countries. Therefore, from the outset, the Imam [Khomeini] ruled that waging war against Saudi Arabia [sic] is obligatory, even back when he was just a religious scholar in Najaf.

"He issued a fatwa according to which it is permitted to pay the khums tax to the Palestinian people, so they can protect themselves and their land. Since [Israel] is a cancerous tumor, it must be uprooted and removed. Therefore, we anticipate that, as Imam Khamenei said, this cancerous tumor will be extracted in a few years, Allah willing. This tumor will be no more. There will be no Israel on the face of the earth."

TV Interviewer: "Despite the great regional support given to the occupying Israel entity?"

Mojtaba Hosseini: "This support is nothing new. It has been receiving support from the day it was founded. But we see that Israel is gradually becoming besieged. The same Israel that talked about 'from the Nile to the Euphrates' now wants to build an iron wall around itself and to live within it in safety. But this will not happen. They are constantly afraid. They are afraid of the Palestinian people, of the Islamic Republic [of Iran], and of Hizbullah, as well as of the [Islamic] awakening that is taking place in Iraq, in Yemen, and even in Egypt and other [Muslim] countries. They are afraid of this."