
Yesterday I published an article in Al Monitor about a recent series of positive gestures between the Iranian and Israeli governments.
Today Iran’s parliamentary spokesman Ali Larijani got on the podium at the ceremony marking the new Tunisian constitution, and called Israel a “cancer”.
He also accused the US of trying to “sterilize” the Arab Spring revolutions”, thus causing a walkout by the US delegation.
Ali Larijani is supposed to be a moderate conservative. I expected this sort of behavior from Ahmadinejad, not him.
How does Mr Larijani expect the international community to behave towards the Iranian regime and the government after such behaviour at a ceremony in another country? What has Tunisia got to do with Israel?
With reference to the new positive signs emanating from Iran, yesterday I wrote in my Al Monitor piece that:
Or it may be that we are about to see a new strategy, whereby to maintain domestic support among conservatives Khamenei continues with his attacks against Israel and his denial of the Holocaust. But the government, to improve Iran’s standing abroad, tries to subtly send messages of goodwill while recognizing the Holocaust.
“With Iranian politicians , we will succeed”.